I’ve had an underfloor heating system (proheat I believe) that has worked well for 5 years that we put in as part of a master bath addition to our house. The tile installer put the underfloor heating system in and an electrician installed a dedicated circuit to the floor (so this wasn’t a DIY gone bad). This year the GFI kept tripping and the electrician that originally installed the thermostat and wired the circuit said the thermostat went bad and replaced it. It worked great for 3 weeks but now is continuously tripping again. He came back out and said there was a leak in the system (determined by resistance measuring I believe). He says he can’t do anything to fix it and that the whole floor likely needs to be ripped up and the underfloor heating replaced.
I’d like to be able to get the floor fixed, not ripped up and replaced. One item of note a few years ago one of the tiles cracked. Is it possible that the wire under the floor is damaged where the crack is and can that be fixed?
Any other options for tackling this?
Trapped between a cold tile floor and a huge bill!
Replies
It would be very difficult (if even possible) to dig up just a broken spot in the heating cable and fix it. Heating cables generally can't be repaired.
But someone with an ohmmeter could at least measure the cable resistance to ground from both ends and, if the short if fairly solid, come up with an estimate of where along the cable the problem is. This might confirm that the problem is in the area of the crack. Then you might be able to (carefully!) dig up that bit of cable and somehow insulate it. But the odds of pulling this off (if the resistance measurements pan out) are probably maybe one in four.
But, if the floor is frame (vs on a slab) it might be better to consider tearing out the ceiling below and installing heating cables in the joist pockets.
Ya might try putting it on a regular breaker and not a GFI. Not much chance you'll get electrocuted by a floor.
Ya might try putting it on a regular breaker and not a GFI. Not much chance you'll get electrocuted by a floor.
I would say that's a very dumb idea. Step out of the shower and reach for the sink faucet and you're singing with the angels.
GFCI are required by the NEC. See section 424.44(G) for concrete floors, section 424.45(E) for systems under finish floors.
Free online access (registration required) to the NEC is available here:
http://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/resources/free-access.