Diagnosis & Repair In- floor Electric Radiant Heating Lines. Lee Durston. BS, CBST, Forensic Building Scientist. BCRA2. 10. 6 Pacific Avenue, Suite 3. Tacoma, WA 9. 84. Ph: 2. 53- 6. 27- 4. Abstract. With radiant in- floor heating becoming more popular, both in private residential and multi- family residential, the number of failures experienced in these systems is increasing proportionally.
Infrared is now being used to locate failure points and assist in the QA/QC process on many construction sites. By utilizing infrared, one can save both time and money and play an integral part in claim subrogation as a failure of this type is mitigated. This presentation will introduce tips and tricks used in diagnosis and repair of electric radiant in- floor heating systems through multiple case studies in which infrared proved to be a valuable resource. Introduction. In- floor radiant heating has become a very popular means of heating a structure, including the residential, multi- family, and commercial markets of construction. This recent surge can be contributed to the claims that radiant heating is more energy efficient. While this claim can be true in some instances, many times there will be no realized cost savings and in some cases energy usage can soar. In new construction, proper design factors must be taken into account with a radiant floor system, including floor insulation, construction type, boiler efficiency (hydronic), etc.
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Proper assessment of a potential retrofit floor system should also be performed by a third party who is not selling a product. It pays to have a thorough assessment performed on a case by case basis to see if radiant in- floor heating is energy efficient and thus cost effective. In addition to compatibility factors, there is the rare chance of installation issues that render an in- floor system useless when construction is complete.
Home › Floors › How to Install In-Floor Heat. Add cement board to the subfloor. Install cement board over the. cut the mat between two loops in the cable.
Many times, situations like this result in a complete dismantling of the floor to expose the system in question. Luckily, failure rates involving in- floor heating systems are very low, but when a failure does occur, it can interrupt construction schedules, create a claim and related litigation, and at best, be frustrating and quite costly. Over the past decade, infrared building science has grown dramatically.
It is more and more common to see a hand held infrared camera being walked around a facility, inspecting electrical panels or searching for water intrusion. It was only a matter of time before a thermographer turned a camera towards a radiant floor heating system and saw the brilliance of a floor system working properly. With such a vivid image, it is very easy to see the intricate design of the system and it is just as easy to see where the system may not be working properly.
While both hydronic and electrical in- floor heating systems can benefit from infrared inspections, this paper will focus specifically on electric in- floor radiant heating systems. As electrical inspections can be dangerous, BCRA recommends a licensed electrician be present on any work of this type. Thermogram of electric radiant heating mats. Discussion. Anatomy of Heating Lines.
The anatomy of an electrical in- floor heating system is very simple. Starting with the power source, electricity is run through a control panel or thermostat to a radiant heating cable which houses conductor line(s), a ground line, insulation, and a heat shield. Both single conductor lines and twin conductor lines exist.
These heating lines come in basic lines that you space yourself or in pre- spaced mats. As resistance is built in the conductor wire it produces heat through conduction into the surrounding materials. As these flooring materials (concrete, tile, wood, etc.) heat up, the living space above is warmed through radiation. The system can be controlled at an on- wall thermal sensor, in- floor thermal sensor, or both.
Wiring Diagram. Illustration of typical heating line components. As with all elements of construction there are possibilities for failure. Failures can be caused from factory- built deficiencies to mistreatment of the product in the field. As we have found, the nature of the conductor wire, being small enough to create a resistance load, also makes it susceptible to breaks and cuts that can interrupt the circuit path. Once this circuit path is broken, partial heating or no heating will occur. To further complicate the issue, thermostats now carry a safety package, a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI), that will break the circuit if a fluctuation of greater than three milli- amps is experienced.
Because of the fragile nature of these systems the manufacturers now recommend verifying continuity of the lines at multiple points during installation. When Failures Occur. Inevitably, for one reason or another, the floor and interior finishes are completed and the floor will not pass the continuity test, or will trip the GFCI, rendering the mat useless.
To avoid excavating the complete floor surface and creating major construction interruptions, the use of infrared thermography has been incorporated into failure investigations.Infrared allows for a quick, precise, and easy to understand pictorial report that documents the precise area of failure points along the heating wire.The trick is to get the area of failure, or fault, to heat up and display itself.The first step to any investigation is to perform an adequate review of the historical data.Design documents, manufacturers product information, occupant testimony, etc., should all be taken into account. .
Also, have your electrician perform a brief inspection to verify the electrical work leading to the thermostat and mat is installed properly. The next step is to observe the operation of the mat in failure mode. In some instances, the mat will heat to a point and then trip the GFCI and leave a heat signature on the floor detailing the fault point. In most instances it is not this easy.
The next step would then be to turn the power source off at the breaker panel, then remove the thermostat from the wall and the conducting wires from the thermostat. Continuity should be evaluated between conducting wires and between each conducting wire and the ground wire individually. Some manufacturers build wires with an aluminum shield wrap and in some instances continuity may appear between phase and shield. Results from this continuity check will give a good representation of what type of failure has occurred. For example, if there is no continuity between conductor wires, but there is continuity between the conductor wire and the ground wire, then most likely you have a severed phase wire.
If continuity exists between the phase wires, then perhaps there is a problem with the thermostat and not the heating wire at all. Assuming you have established continuity between any two legs, single out those two legs and connect your power source leads directly to them.
With the floor free of obstacles and debris, turn the power on at the breaker panel and observe with both digital and IR video. In most instances the fault area will appear as a small area of intense heat as an arc is being created at a damaged portion of wire. Other results may include a functional heating wire reaching a point of failure with the remainder of the wire appearing to function at half strength. Again, the portion of damaged wire is easy to identify. Thermal anomaly representing arc fault. Thermal anomaly representing arc fault. Note the remainder of the line operating at half power.
There may be some instances where continuity is not detected in any combination of wires and or shield. This would be representative of a larger amount of damage where the radiant heating wires are completely severed. If this is the case, you must work to create a large enough arc to bridge the gap.
A qualified electrician will be able to provide a transformer that can create an arc potential of this type. For many of the examples listed in this paper, a 2. With the addition of this as the power source, the wires can arc and even re- weld themselves. The fault will again display itself along with the possibility of a small arc “pop” if the radiant heating line has been penetrated by a fastener in the floor. Once you have identified the fault, carefully mark the area on the floor and turn the power off at the breaker panel. Let the floor cool and repeat the exercise confirming the location of the fault.
Upon confirmation, excavate the subfloor material for visual inspection of the wire.