Heating cables and floors without cast

It is not a prerequisite to have a concrete floor to install electrical under floor heating. Heating cables can be installed in the airpocket in the tier of beams, in addition there are products for installation directly beneath laminate and parquet.

Many have not been aware of the fact that heating cables can be installed in wooden floors without any use of cast. But the methods for doing this have been known for many years and the most common one is to install cables in the tier of beams. In recent years products for installation directly beneath laminate/parquet (on a leveled surface) also have been developed. These are easy to install and can be used in both renovation and new building projects.

When using electrical heating cables in wooden floors, cables with 10 W/m or less are usually installed with a maximum of 80 W/m2.
For heating requirements of 60-70 W/m2 and a cable output of maximum 10 W/m, the center distance will normally be in the range of 90-130 mm. Using lower power/m2 has no power on the impact of the comfort feeling. Tiles can seem cold if even the room itself is warm. That is because tiles have a high heat capacity and transport the heat efficiently from your feet to the floor. Wooden materials have a lower heat capacity and will feel warm at lower power/m2.

In order to avoid damaged or creaking floorboards, the following precautions should be taken in rooms where people spend prolonged periods of time;
• Install maximum 60 W/m2
• Distribute the cables evenly across the entire floor area
• Protect all material against rain and moisture in the construction period, and make sure that all the materials are dry before the floor covering is laid
• Use an electronic thermostat with room sensor and a floor sensor limiting the max. temperature in the floor to 35° C.
• If possible, floorboards should be placed loosely on top of the heated floor for a few days before they are fastened
• Avoid laying any thick/wall-to-wall carpets or rugs on top of parquet.