A top tip- when installing the cabling, add one or more additional underfloor thermostat sensors (not shown in the video) as spares. This way, if the sensor ever fails, you don’t have to disturb the floor.
It’s great to see trades men take pride in their work, well done Roger! And what a great idea using that big rubber squeegee, it made light work of that mix👍🏻
By far the best system I ve ever used, your in complete control of your wiring layout. I’ve installed a lot of this and you say you can’t install wiring closer than 75mm. It all depends on what company product you use and if it’s a primary heat source then it can be installed to 50mm apart generally. 75mm is secondary heat source a long with towel rads but like I said all depends on what products you use with their spec. Good post anyhow. Keep up the good work.
Exactly! Ditra heat specify minimum 3 studs apart on floor but 2 studs apart on the wall. And it definitely can be used to heat a room if you buy the right brand as you say. This looks like a knock off ditra heat
@@cglees there is many companies out there. One I like using is elektra wiring heating. Comes with their own decoupling mat and very easy to install as is ditra. You stick with what you know at best.
Hello, at 06:30 you were saying that you worried that you might have to run the excess cable underneath the bath. I thought that this was always a big no-no. Looking at the Underfloor Heating Store's instructions on how to mark the area for heating, they always advise to avoid running the electric heating cables going under such fixtures. Hence, I was surprised to hear you consider that as an option!
Thats mainly because it is a waste of heat, those areas do not need heating so it wastes money and there is also the risk of damaging the cable when fitting them
I can see how remodeling a bathroom at a later date could pose a bit of a problem with relocation of fixed furniture? Also can you use this system under a wet floor bathroom? - A tanked/lined floor with drain built into the floor for draining showers and other water sources..
In my experience a new bathroom is done from the floor up with new tiles. The only problem here would be somebody placing floor standing units on the floor which ain't going to happen. The whole idea is to give you a clean clear floor which is easier to clean. As a plumber I have taken out my fair share of w.c's with urine soaked into the floorboards. This is way better. As for placing this heating in wet spaces, yes, provided it has RCD protection.
I’ve had to buy two rolls of mats @ 10m each = 20 square meters therefore there are TWO mains cables? Do I just connect them both to the fuse spur switch which is wired to the stat?
Personally I prefer the hersel infrared heaters, just done a heated mirror on a project, can’t remember the rated watts or btu. But definitely was miles above the electric matt. But I’ve never seen that system before.
Thanks for another useful video. Is the 75mm required spacing between the cable runs needed because if the cables get too close the heat can damage them? Cheers
I’d disagree with that. It’s a recommendation from the manufacturer from a safety perspective so that you don’t burn your feet walking on the hot tiles. If the cables are too close together the floor will heat up too much too fast and the thermostat might not detect it in time which could make the floor too hot to walk on. The cable can’t damage itself from being too close together, it is hot anyway. That’s like saying if you put 2 hot cups of tea side by side one would heat the other. The cable is either on or off, when it’s on it is at maximum temperature, when the heat dissipates through the tiles the floor sensor detects it and switches off at the desired temperature. The cable itself can’t get any hotter than it already is but the tiles could end up dangerously overheated if the cables are not spaced out sufficiently
@@cgleesif the cable was surrounded by insulation that is 100% efficient what would happen? Would current still flow? If so where is the path of energy flow? Or where is the heat energy going that is being produced from the current flow? I would suggest the cable would heat up to a point where the resistance of the cable itself gets so great that current cannot flow or (more likely I would imagine) it will get to a temperature that the cable will thermally fuse and the current will mechanically be stopped. Just an interesting thought. All theoretical of course. I liked your post btw.
A very helpful video which gave me confidence to it myself. I have a question Roger. After my levelling compound set, I could feel the notches on the mats under my feet cracking. Obviously I'll be tiling, but is this normal? Thanks.
That looks a lot of hard work. What do you think of infra red ceiling heating panels in busy spaces like bathrooms Roger? Any chance of a video on this subject?
Can you please explain this a bit? I've never heard this before, and it isn't clear to me why straight lines would be preferable to circular. Wouldn't it contain the same ratio of adhesive to air in either case?
Good question, the other end has a factory made joint to a tail of cold cable that runs up the wall to the controller and that join also has to be buried in the floor so you will always have a fixed point at either end of a heat cable.
Where’s the floor waste? In Oz we have to drain all wet area floors in case basins or baths overflow. How can you fall a floor to the waste drain when you have self levelling screed?
No such thing here in the UK, as mentioned we have overflows built into the baths and sinks ( although if water was running fast enough if would still spill over as the overflows are quite small ) in a wet room you may find a drain in the floor but 99% of all bathrooms have no grid drain like you've mentioned.
Yes you can. That is exactly where we are using it in this video but you must ensure that the sub floor is sturdy and that the chipboard floor is extremely well fixed down also the chipboard would ideally be 22mm thick.
@@paul756uk2 I gave up screwing w.c to the floor years ago. A bead of silicone around the base will hold it completely and prevents any chance of cracking. It also makes it easier to get up. I usually cut the screws and put them in as dummies with a dob of silicone. Some poor plumber not yet born will be unscrewing them and think he has snapped them off.
@@SkillBuilder only silicone, really? Isn't it too flexible? Wouldn't a high grab adhesive like soudals fixall be a better choice as it's cures much stiffer than silicone and probably bonds better?
@@SkillBuilder Yes I think you're right. They don't need to be screwed down. Surprising how well silicon holds things in place. Saying that however, my daughters less than a year old new build undermount kitchen sink started to collapse last week as all that was holding it up was silicon. What a pain that was to put it right. (No good asking the builders. They don't want to know. This isn't an average new build on an estate either).
It's a good system but personally I stick the mat down with tanking liquid. Find it faster and easier and a lot of the time I'll be using it on the job anyway. Tech support said this is an acceptable method btw
After 950 m2 you become an expert on laying self levelling compound for underfloor heating, but its worth getting it bang on, tiles went down very easy 900 x 200 and still looking amazing after five years.
Hi Roger, nice job. Do you know what thickness the decoupling tiles are? I am looking to underfloor heat and then tile, but my shower tray is only 25mm thick, so I need to be a little careful in how many layers of material I have under the tiles. This decoupling layer and self leveller option appears to be what I need, providing that the decoupling layer is not too thick!
I think that the manufacturer ask to fill up a installation sheet with the resistance of the cable out of the box and after laid down for warranty purpose!
Did I understand this correctly - the Romans used decoupling systems with their tile? I had no idea. I did a bit of Googling for more details but couldn't find anything. Can anyone share more details about this?
Yes no problem at all. I have it in my bathroom. All I did was snake the radiator return through the floor. It works a treat and is controlled by the thermostat on the towel rail. No manifolds no pumps just the heating circuit.
Hi SB, thanks for the video! Just wanted to ask what (if any) are the advantages of using tile adhesive over something like Ardex AF 200 to stick down the membrane? Context: DIYer who's done my own underfloor heating - will be doing it again when I move house hence the Q Thanks!
Many years ago I did a make over series for the BBC which was set on a building site. I told them at the start that building sites are too noisy to do endless pieces to camera but they knew better. They asked all the builders to stop working while we filmed and the builders said "Not unless you pay us" which is competely understandable. In the end the footage just ran with music and a voice over and it was all the better for it.
I have to admit i have recently ripped all these out of my own home, put rads in, and just extended the heating loop and new boiler, That all looks good but the time it takes,and the expense,and there is always that concern about damaging the cables with the trowel as you mentioned, Great video but this is not for me, PS knee pads mate or you will suffer when you get to my age. which is 74 tomorrow.
Regarding the screeding…… it’ll crack when walked on. The decoupling mats are plastic and have movement when walked on, but the screed has no movement and will crack. I guess you can use boards to walk over but I much prefer to tile on direct.
The screeding is fibre reinforced and if you can crack it by walking on it you must be the guy who ate all the pies. The mats don't def;ect when walked on. This whole systems has been specified , the recommendations are for a fibre reinforced self leveller. There is no deflection in the floor because they joists are at 400 centres and the Caberdek is 22mm not 18mm. The tile adhesive it flexible so the whole thing will be belt and braces.
The tile method looks great and WAY more flexible than these carpet/wire included mesh versions. But why can I for the love of god not find some kind of carpet or tile based alternative to SCREED. Can I just decide not to use screed? Every video. Wow looks good. Nice and easy. Looking sweeeeet..... CONCRETE LAYER SCREED TIME. Like. I don't want my lovely accessible floorboards to be concreted over in a way that will piss off anyone trying to do underfloor maintenance. Why has nobody released some form of product that is modular, can be removed. Sigh.
@@BODGE71 I wouldn’t go cheap on this, if it fails you have to rip up the tiles to replace it. One area you want to be confident is underfloor heating. Schluter give you that peace of mind in my opinion. They give you 2 floor sensors in case one fails
Hi Simon Electric underfloor heating is good for tile warm up to keep your feet warm in a bathroom but don't ever use it as heating. It costs a fortune and can't do the job. Just check out the watts per mtrs sq and you will see why.
@@SkillBuilder would you opt for a water underfloor aystem for the whole house instead? What about when gas boilers are phased out - thinking of the future
A top tip- when installing the cabling, add one or more additional underfloor thermostat sensors (not shown in the video) as spares. This way, if the sensor ever fails, you don’t have to disturb the floor.
Or put the sensor in a conduit. That way you can just put in a new one.
We do this all the time now. So far, we haven’t had to deal with a failed stat, but it’s a great backup.
Class idea, thanks
It’s great to see trades men take pride in their work, well done Roger! And what a great idea using that big rubber squeegee, it made light work of that mix👍🏻
Wish I had a real like mentor like you to teach me more about the trade, binging your videos and this industry 😁
Roger amazing you were around helping the Romans do their mosaic floors, you have lasted just as well..
I predate them by about ..............
Think you might have your hands on someone good operating the camera - some very nice low level shots and shallow depth of field - very nice!!!
By far the best system I ve ever used, your in complete control of your wiring layout.
I’ve installed a lot of this and you say you can’t install wiring closer than 75mm. It all depends on what company product you use and if it’s a primary heat source then it can be installed to 50mm apart generally. 75mm is secondary heat source a long with towel rads but like I said all depends on what products you use with their spec.
Good post anyhow. Keep up the good work.
Exactly! Ditra heat specify minimum 3 studs apart on floor but 2 studs apart on the wall. And it definitely can be used to heat a room if you buy the right brand as you say. This looks like a knock off ditra heat
@@cglees there is many companies out there. One I like using is elektra wiring heating. Comes with their own decoupling mat and very easy to install as is ditra.
You stick with what you know at best.
You can definitely recognise a good trader by the joint in the electric mixer.
😂😂😂 that’s my special mixer!
Quality again Roger, keep these coming!!!
Under tile heating, people are going soft these days, it wouldn't of happened in my day rodger🤣🤣👍. Great job and very professional.
Superb.🤩 Top job Roger and thanks for the great video.😎
Nice job,I have underfloor heating, can I tile directly on the top of my liquid screed without putting ditra mat on the top? Thanks
Hello, at 06:30 you were saying that you worried that you might have to run the excess cable underneath the bath. I thought that this was always a big no-no. Looking at the Underfloor Heating Store's instructions on how to mark the area for heating, they always advise to avoid running the electric heating cables going under such fixtures. Hence, I was surprised to hear you consider that as an option!
Thats mainly because it is a waste of heat, those areas do not need heating so it wastes money and there is also the risk of damaging the cable when fitting them
Lovely job 👌🏼🧱👍🏼
My bathroom is two levels with a 4 inch step.. would this same method work? How would you manage the step?
I can see how remodeling a bathroom at a later date could pose a bit of a problem with relocation of fixed furniture? Also can you use this system under a wet floor bathroom? - A tanked/lined floor with drain built into the floor for draining showers and other water sources..
In my experience a new bathroom is done from the floor up with new tiles. The only problem here would be somebody placing floor standing units on the floor which ain't going to happen. The whole idea is to give you a clean clear floor which is easier to clean. As a plumber I have taken out my fair share of w.c's with urine soaked into the floorboards. This is way better. As for placing this heating in wet spaces, yes, provided it has RCD protection.
They actually have plastic tile trowels so you could use that to go over the matting & heating cable with tile adhesive
Fantastic install 👌🏽 heart warming to see the passion 🔥
I’ve had to buy two rolls of mats @ 10m each = 20 square meters therefore there are TWO mains cables? Do I just connect them both to the fuse spur switch which is wired to the stat?
How thick is the self levelling compound? Just enough to cover?
Nice system might consider when I do my shower room. But would be good if the wire was a contrasting colour to the mat.
I noticed that too. We have a blue wire on orange matting
Personally I prefer the hersel infrared heaters, just done a heated mirror on a project, can’t remember the rated watts or btu. But definitely was miles above the electric matt. But I’ve never seen that system before.
Thanks for another useful video. Is the 75mm required spacing between the cable runs needed because if the cables get too close the heat can damage them? Cheers
Yes it can cook if it gets too warm and that reduces the life.
I’d disagree with that. It’s a recommendation from the manufacturer from a safety perspective so that you don’t burn your feet walking on the hot tiles. If the cables are too close together the floor will heat up too much too fast and the thermostat might not detect it in time which could make the floor too hot to walk on. The cable can’t damage itself from being too close together, it is hot anyway. That’s like saying if you put 2 hot cups of tea side by side one would heat the other. The cable is either on or off, when it’s on it is at maximum temperature, when the heat dissipates through the tiles the floor sensor detects it and switches off at the desired temperature. The cable itself can’t get any hotter than it already is but the tiles could end up dangerously overheated if the cables are not spaced out sufficiently
@@cglees interesting point, thanks!
@@cgleesif the cable was surrounded by insulation that is 100% efficient what would happen? Would current still flow? If so where is the path of energy flow? Or where is the heat energy going that is being produced from the current flow? I would suggest the cable would heat up to a point where the resistance of the cable itself gets so great that current cannot flow or (more likely I would imagine) it will get to a temperature that the cable will thermally fuse and the current will mechanically be stopped. Just an interesting thought. All theoretical of course.
I liked your post btw.
A very helpful video which gave me confidence to it myself.
I have a question Roger. After my levelling compound set, I could feel the notches on the mats under my feet cracking.
Obviously I'll be tiling, but is this normal? Thanks.
That looks a lot of hard work. What do you think of infra red ceiling heating panels in busy spaces like bathrooms Roger? Any chance of a video on this subject?
Im wanting to do this and put laminate flooring down. Can i just lay it straight on top of this or do i need something on top before???????
You can put the laminate floor on top of the self levelling screed but I wouldn't miss out the screed bit
Remember kids no swirls in your tile adhesive! You want nice straight lines so they can collapse and not trap any air.
I knew we would get that one and you are right
Can you please explain this a bit? I've never heard this before, and it isn't clear to me why straight lines would be preferable to circular. Wouldn't it contain the same ratio of adhesive to air in either case?
@@SkillBuilder aha! That makes sense to me, this channel is amazing. Thanks for the info.
@@iamamish its to allow air to escape as tiles are pressed into place. Swirls may create air traps which can cause problems
Quick Question: If its terminated at one end, why not start with that end and then any excess can be cut from the other end... or would that not work?
Good question, the other end has a factory made joint to a tail of cold cable that runs up the wall to the controller and that join also has to be buried in the floor so you will always have a fixed point at either end of a heat cable.
Where’s the floor waste? In Oz we have to drain all wet area floors in case basins or baths overflow. How can you fall a floor to the waste drain when you have self levelling screed?
We don’t have that regulation in the uk, just overflows fitted to baths and basins. Usually just wet rooms which have drains in the floor!
No such thing here in the UK, as mentioned we have overflows built into the baths and sinks ( although if water was running fast enough if would still spill over as the overflows are quite small ) in a wet room you may find a drain in the floor but 99% of all bathrooms have no grid drain like you've mentioned.
Brilliant video!! Do you have any videos regarding electric radiatirs/heating and electric hot water heaters as well??
Great video always. Can you use this system upstairs on a chipboard based flooring?
Yes you can. That is exactly where we are using it in this video but you must ensure that the sub floor is sturdy and that the chipboard floor is extremely well fixed down also the chipboard would ideally be 22mm thick.
so you didnt use the self levelling compound to level the floor?
If the toilet and hand basin where floor mounted why would you not run the cable under them is it just to prevent wastage ?
I'd be more worried about driving a screw through the heating element when fitting the toilet.
I think it can overheat if it is under fitments.
@@paul756uk2 I gave up screwing w.c to the floor years ago. A bead of silicone around the base will hold it completely and prevents any chance of cracking. It also makes it easier to get up. I usually cut the screws and put them in as dummies with a dob of silicone. Some poor plumber not yet born will be unscrewing them and think he has snapped them off.
@@SkillBuilder only silicone, really? Isn't it too flexible? Wouldn't a high grab adhesive like soudals fixall be a better choice as it's cures much stiffer than silicone and probably bonds better?
@@SkillBuilder Yes I think you're right. They don't need to be screwed down. Surprising how well silicon holds things in place. Saying that however, my daughters less than a year old new build undermount kitchen sink started to collapse last week as all that was holding it up was silicon. What a pain that was to put it right. (No good asking the builders. They don't want to know. This isn't an average new build on an estate either).
It's a good system but personally I stick the mat down with tanking liquid. Find it faster and easier and a lot of the time I'll be using it on the job anyway. Tech support said this is an acceptable method btw
After 950 m2 you become an expert on laying self levelling compound for underfloor heating, but its worth getting it bang on, tiles went down very easy 900 x 200 and still looking amazing after five years.
I do large retail sites. That’s one job 😂
Hi Roger, nice job. Do you know what thickness the decoupling tiles are? I am looking to underfloor heat and then tile, but my shower tray is only 25mm thick, so I need to be a little careful in how many layers of material I have under the tiles. This decoupling layer and self leveller option appears to be what I need, providing that the decoupling layer is not too thick!
Hi, I have some of these exact mats here ready to fit shortly so just measured them. They are 6mm thick.
STAKKER comments 1st. Like a champion.
Does anyone know what the green around the edge of the shower tray is when pouring the self levelling screed?
Just looks like Frog masking tape to me, to protect the shower base.
I think that the manufacturer ask to fill up a installation sheet with the resistance of the cable out of the box and after laid down for warranty purpose!
Good point, I will have to find someone who can read and write
Yup, often 3 times and to be filled out on the warranty card itself
How thick is this please?
Did I understand this correctly - the Romans used decoupling systems with their tile? I had no idea. I did a bit of Googling for more details but couldn't find anything. Can anyone share more details about this?
@@SkillBuilder that’s amazing. Thanks for sharing!
They used a layer of sand between the sub base and cement so it formed a slip layer to stop ground stresses affecting the tiles.
Interesting vid 👍
Is it possible to put water underfloor heating instead in the bathroom?
Yes no problem at all. I have it in my bathroom. All I did was snake the radiator return through the floor. It works a treat and is controlled by the thermostat on the towel rail. No manifolds no pumps just the heating circuit.
Great matting why didn’t you use the self adhesive one ,,
We could have stuck this down with SBR but we went for the tile adhesive. I am not sure about the self adhesive stuff when it gets warm.
Hi SB, thanks for the video!
Just wanted to ask what (if any) are the advantages of using tile adhesive over something like Ardex AF 200 to stick down the membrane?
Context: DIYer who's done my own underfloor heating - will be doing it again when I move house hence the Q
Thanks!
Thank you : )
can you use water under floor heating in a bathroom ?
Did you find answer for this question?
Rodger , Your Mate Robin Clevett Had Noisy Interruptions On His Video The Other Day 🤔
All Part OF the Working Day On The Tools 😉👍
Many years ago I did a make over series for the BBC which was set on a building site. I told them at the start that building sites are too noisy to do endless pieces to camera but they knew better. They asked all the builders to stop working while we filmed and the builders said "Not unless you pay us" which is competely understandable. In the end the footage just ran with music and a voice over and it was all the better for it.
Screwfix need to sponsor you
I have to admit i have recently ripped all these out of my own home, put rads in, and just extended the heating loop and new boiler, That all looks good but the time it takes,and the expense,and there is always that concern about damaging the cables with the trowel as you mentioned, Great video but this is not for me, PS knee pads mate or you will suffer when you get to my age. which is 74 tomorrow.
I just thought that matting was soft enough to not need knee pads. I was wrong.
@@SkillBuilder Told you.cheers mate and thanks for swift response,have a great weekend ,chilling i hope .
Seems like the matting is a better / simpler solution overall tbh
Looks like the schluter system
Haha, Roger had a haircut halfway through making the video 😁
Hair caught in the whisk, where do you think the fibres come from?
Haircut? That was a scalping.
Ready for that guy that Dot n dabs the tiles ... #DotDabgate
Regarding the screeding…… it’ll crack when walked on. The decoupling mats are plastic and have movement when walked on, but the screed has no movement and will crack. I guess you can use boards to walk over but I much prefer to tile on direct.
The screeding is fibre reinforced and if you can crack it by walking on it you must be the guy who ate all the pies. The mats don't def;ect when walked on. This whole systems has been specified , the recommendations are for a fibre reinforced self leveller. There is no deflection in the floor because they joists are at 400 centres and the Caberdek is 22mm not 18mm. The tile adhesive it flexible so the whole thing will be belt and braces.
The tile method looks great and WAY more flexible than these carpet/wire included mesh versions.
But why can I for the love of god not find some kind of carpet or tile based alternative to SCREED. Can I just decide not to use screed?
Every video. Wow looks good. Nice and easy. Looking sweeeeet.....
CONCRETE LAYER SCREED TIME.
Like. I don't want my lovely accessible floorboards to be concreted over in a way that will piss off anyone trying to do underfloor maintenance. Why has nobody released some form of product that is modular, can be removed.
Sigh.
why on earth would you want it to be able to be removed
All joke's aside, how do I get Roger and his team to do my house?
Sorry mate we are booked solid and don't like travelling. We are getting loads of enquires at the moment.
That would have been so much easier if the cable was a contrasting colour
Looks like Schluter.
A lot cheaper
@@SkillBuilder ooh. Now that has caught my attention as I've been thinking about installing this in my bathroom.
@@BODGE71 I wouldn’t go cheap on this, if it fails you have to rip up the tiles to replace it. One area you want to be confident is underfloor heating. Schluter give you that peace of mind in my opinion. They give you 2 floor sensors in case one fails
@@cglees 👍 agreed.
@@cglees We always put the floor sensor in a length of flexible conduit so it can be replaced.
I was under the impression that electric underfloor heating was more efficient than radiators - and cheaper?
Hi Simon
Electric underfloor heating is good for tile warm up to keep your feet warm in a bathroom but don't ever use it as heating. It costs a fortune and can't do the job. Just check out the watts per mtrs sq and you will see why.
@@SkillBuilder would you opt for a water underfloor aystem for the whole house instead? What about when gas boilers are phased out - thinking of the future
@@swedge1988 electric boilers.