Warmtouch Floor Warming by DOMOTECK

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1. How long has DK Heating Systems been in business?

DK Heating Systems, Inc. is a subsidiary of DOMOTECK® Limited. Domoteck was established in 1987 in order to develop, produce, and market underfloor heating systems and other comfort heating appliances throughout the world. Owner and President, Dan Klein, is the driving force of the well-established corporate office and high-tech manufacturing center located in Tefen, Israel. Approximately 90% of Domoteck’s annual production is exported out of Israel to distribution facilities throughout the world. Over the last 20 years, sales, distribution, and technical support facilities have expanded into Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Romania, France, the UK, New Zealand, Australia, and the United States.

2. How long will my heated floor last?

WarmTouch® heating mats and cables are warranted against manufacturer’s defects for a period of 10 years. However, if the electric radiant heat and the flooring are installed and tested properly (in accordance with DK installation guidelines, TCA flooring recommendations, and National Electrical Codes), the floor-warming system should warm the floor comfortably for the lifetime of the flooring.

3. Will WarmTouch® heat a room?

Although a tile floor with WarmTouch® below can reach temperatures of 90+ degrees, it is not typically recommended as a sole heating source. Unlike HVAC systems, which turn on and off automatically 24/7, electric radiant heat is generally set to operate for short periods throughout the day to warm the flooring surface. However, this type of supplemental zone heating will more significantly affect the room temperature if installed in a thicker mortar bed and set to operate as necessary 24/7 as would be done with another primary source of heat. All in all, electric radiant heat should not be installed as a primary heat source unless sufficient heat loss studies have been conducted by a qualified architect or heating technician.

4. Can a floor warming system get too hot?

No. WarmTouch® heating elements are manufactured to produce a maximum of 15 Watts per square foot. National Electrical Codes require residential applications to be 16Watts per square foot or less. The surface of a heated floor will typically reach between 80-90 degrees. Well-insulated floors and floors over heated spaces will generally warm to higher temperatures than those with excessive heat loss. (See Question #19 for further information.)

5. How warm will my floor get if I install WarmTouch®?

There are many variables that can affect the surface temperature of the floor. (See Questions #8 & #19.) Although, with good insulation floors can reach temperatures of 90+ degrees, systems are most commonly set at to operate at approximately 82 degrees , the healthiest flooring temperature based on recommendations made by ASHRAE (The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers).

6. How long will it take to warm up my Warm Touch® floor?

It usually takes approximately ½ -1 hour to warm the floor to the low 80’s. However, the warm-up time will vary depending on the thickness of the floor covering, the thickness of the mortar between the heating element and the floor surface, and the insulating properties of the subfloor floor below.

7. Will heat radiate beyond the floor area covered by WarmTouch®?

Tiles without WarmTouch® mats or cables below them will be significantly colder than tiles with an element below them. Heat will only radiate about 1 ½”-2” from the heating wire. So planning the Warm Touch mat or cable installation in advance is of utmost importance. If a heating element is set to be on for an extended period of time, the surrounding tiles may absorb some the heat, but the entire floor will not typically reach complete equilibrium.

8. How much will WarmTouch® raise the floor?

The actual WarmTouch® heating element is approximately 1/8” thick. However, the combination of WarmTouch® and the protective skim coat of thinset mortar or self-leveling cement, will add approximately ¼” to the overall floor height.

9. How close can I put my Warm Touch mat to a wall?

We recommend you stay 3 to 6 inches away from walls to assure that trim nails, screws, doorstops, etc. do not penetrate the heating wire during construction.

10. Will WarmTouch® cause tile or grout to crack?

Absolutely not. Cracking tiles or grout are typically signs that their was too much movement in the subfloor, the floor covering was not installed properly, or that the cement, thinset mortar, or grout was mixed incorrectly or that it did not cure completely prior to operating the floor warming system.

11. Are electric floor warming systems safe?

Absolutely! DK Heating Systems is certified as ISO 9002, which basically means that our production facility and the quality of the products we produce meet specific standards set forth by the International Standards Organization. These International Standards are in place to assure the quality, safety and reliability of thousands of products. No other Electric Radiant heating company can make this claim! In addition, WarmTouch® is UL approved, which means it has gone through extensive testing to assure that it meets National and International safety standards. Lastly, DK requires all of our floor warming systems to be protected by a GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupt) connection.

12. Do DK floor-warming elements produce EMF?

So many things around us produce some level EMF. Televisions, toasters, hair dryers, and fluorescent lights are just a few of the items we use everyday that produce EMF. ALL electric radiant heat products also produce EMF. However, WarmTouch® is the only electric radiant product that has been tested by an independent lab using specific guidelines to measure just how much EMF is produced both directly at the wire and at various points above floor level. The results prove that the EMF is very close to zero, but more importantly has been determined to be completely safe and well below national and international standards.

13. How much does it cost to operate?

An average bathroom (approx. 40sqft of heated floor) uses about the same amount of energy as the light bulbs in the fixtures. Using a programmable floor-sensing thermostat to control the temperature as well as the timing functions will make the system even more efficient and cost effective to operate, typically only pennies a day*.

*To figure out your exact usage you will need to know the square footage of the mat(s) being installed in the floor. The total square footage can then be multiplied by 15W (for most DK systems) to calculate the Total Wattage. Since electric companies charge based on Kilowatts used, you will need to divide the total watts by 1000. When you divide the Kilowatts by the amount you are charged on your electric bill per Kilowatt/hour, this will give you the actual cost to run the system per hour. Remember! Energy is not being used just because the system is set to keep the floor warm. The floor warming will turn On/Off intermittently in the same way that forced air systems do.

Example:

1’ X 40’ WarmTouch mat = 40square feet
40sqft X 15W/sqft = 600 Total Watts
600W/ 1000 = .6 Kilowatts
.6 X .08 cents/kWh = .048 ≈ 5 cents per hour

14. Can I just keep my floor warming system on all of the time?

Yes. You can safely leave your floor-warming system on all of the time. However, there are many advantages to using a programmable thermostat. Not only will it make your system more cost effective to operate, but the 4 daily settings will allow you the flexibility to set it once and never worry about waking up or coming home to a cold floor again. It will only run when you want it to. The programmable thermostat also has a manual feature that allows you to over-ride the program if desired. See what energy star has to say about programmable thermostats at: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=thermostats.pr_thermostats

15. Can we extend the cold leads?

Yes, you can extend the cold leads up to 100 feet thru an accessible junction box. Individual WarmTouch® mats can be extended with 12 to 14 Gauge wire. However, if multiple mats are connected in parallel, the electrician on the job must determine the appropriate Gauge wire to use based on the Total Amperage of the mats.

16. Can we extend the sensor wires?

Yes, you can extend the sensor wires up to 100 feet using 20 gauge wire.

17. I forgot to put the sensor in my floor what can I do?

You have a couple of options. If your drywall is already in, and your grout lines are at least 1/4” wide, you may run your sensor wire from the control location behind the wall and fish it out through a hole near the floor by using a fish tape or a nail on a string. Use a hand grout cutting tool to CAREFULLY clean out the grout line between two tiles (6-9 inches into the heated floor). BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL NOT TO CUT TOO DEEPLY INTO THE GROUT TO AVOID DAMAGING THE HEATING ELEMENT. Place the sensor between the tiles so that it lies in between or next to a heating wire, but NOT over it. Re-apply grout and then cover the sensor hole in the wall with floor trim.

18. Does the Warm Touch system need to be tested before installation?

Yes. A qualified electrician should use a digital ohm meter to measure the electrical resistance (Ohms) between the heating element cold leads. He should also test for shorts. The same tests should be performed during and after the mat and tile installation as well. Do NOT energize the cables prior to installation.

19. Can a damaged heating wire be repaired on the jobsite?

Yes, but a licensed electrician should make the repair. Call DK Technical Support Dept. at 1-800-959-9276 to troubleshoot and order the appropriate repair kit.

20. Can I install WarmTouch® system directly over a concrete slab?

Yes, with limitations. Concrete will absorb a lot of the heat from the floor-warming system and will reduce the amount of heat that penetrates the flooring surface, especially in cooler climates. The amount of heat loss will depend on many factors: the thickness of the concrete, the subgrade below the slab, the moisture content, the outside temperature, the quality of windows and doors, the R-Value and placement of insulation, etc. DK recommends installing insulation (in accordance with TCA Guidelines) such as a plywood subfloor or 1/2" cork underlayment over the slab to reduce heat loss, improves efficiency, and heat the surface more quickly.

*The TCA Handbook for Ceramic Tile Installation provides specification writers, architects, contractors and installers industry-consensus detailed drawings and installation specification guidelines for 94 tile installation methods. It also references American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) test methods.

21. If I am using Schluter “Ditra” as an underlayment, does the WarmTouch® go over it or underneath it?

DK Heating recommends that the heating element be installed over the Ditra underlayment in order to allow more heat to penetrate the floor covering. If you install the heating element underneath the Ditra, the air pockets within the Ditra will act as insulation and the flooring surface may take longer to warm.

22. What if I have too much WarmTouch heating mat? Can I cut the mat to a shorter size?

No. The length of the heating element cannot be adjusted. The heating element must be used in its entirety. Cutting the mat shorter will prevent it from warming at all and will change the heat output creating potentially unsafe conditions. However, the cold leads and sensor wire can both be shortened if necessary.

23. Can I overlap the heating elements if I have too much?

No. The heating elements must NOT touch, cross, or overlap at any point. Operating a system installed in this fashion will damage the heating element and void the warranty.

24. How close should the WarmTouch® be to the toilet?

WarmTouch® should be installed no closer than 4 to 6 inches from the wax ring, and should be completely clear of the toilet bolts.

25. How close should the WarmTouch® be to cabinetry and other fixed items?

WarmTouch® should be installed within an inch of the cabinet base in order to avoid “cold toes”. It should never be installed under items that are fixed to the floor or that sit flush with the floor surface. This will trap the heat, warm the flooring surface to excessive temperatures, and potentially affect the life of the floor-warming system.

26. Can I put Warm Touch system in the shower?

We do not recommend putting WarmTouch in showers. To our knowledge, there is no mat in the industry that has been tested and approved by UL for this type of installation.

27. Can I install this cable in the walls?

No. National Electrical Codes and Canadian Electrical Codes do not allow heating cables of this nature to be installed behind walls.

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