Post by Christopher on Dec 1, 2009 10:29:07 GMT -6
Can I cut the mat/wire?
No, you can not cut the heating element. Our cables are resistance based and if cut will overheat and melt. Due to this, we offer mats and wire in a range of sizes. Cutting the heating element will also void the warranty.
The mesh around the element in our mats, however, can be cut to suit your installation needs.
If the wire has been cut, we offer a repair kit to mend the wire, and various methods of finding the cut if it has been installed.
I have too much mat/wire! What do I do?
There are a couple things you can do.
First off, do not ever cut the wire. Because this is a resistance-based heating system, changing the length of the wire will change the resistance, and will cause the wire to overheat and melt.
The first thing to try is running the wire in places you may not have any. One of the best places is behind the toilet. Just be sure you stay 4" from the wax ring at all times.
You might try changing the spacing of the wire from the normal 2.5" down to 2". This is an easy way to get rid of a few extra feet. Simply re-space the last small portion of the heating elements.
If you remained 4" or more from the walls, you can go back around the perimeter, running the extra wire 2" from the walls.
If there is just no way to use up your existing heating element, it will need to be returned, and a smaller sized system can be purchased.
Can I cut the power lead and sensor wire?
If, after pulling the lead and sensor up to your junction box, you find you have a foot or two extra, you may trim those two leads back. This will not effect the resistance reading of either.
Why don't I get any resistance to my green wire?
The green wire is your ground wire. No resistance from black to green and white to green is the reading you want.
You can just write "0" in your resistance log and continue the installation!
However, if you ever do get resistance to your green wire, then you would have a short to ground. Your heating element would then need to be repaired.
Why don't I get any resistance to my sensor wire?
There might be two reasons for this.
First, ensure your meter is not still set to the 200 ohm setting needed for testing the heating elements. You will need to change the meter to the 20k ohms setting to test the sensor.
Second, ensure you aren't using an automatic, or Fluke, meter. These types of meters do not seem to be able to read over 10,000 ohms, and typically cannot see the sensor, which is usually at 12,000 - 14,000 ohms. To resolve this, either dip the sensor in hot water to bring the resistance down, or wire the sensor to the thermostat and then supply power. If it displays the correct temperature, your sensor is fine.
What do I do if I forgot to install the sensor?
The best option would be to remove part of a grout line, drop the sensor in there, and re-grout over the top. However, you will need 3/8" to 1/4" wide grout lines to do this.
If you have access to the floor from below, you can carefully drill a 45 degree angled hole upwards, stopping below the level of the heating elements, and put the sensor there. Hold it in place with a bead of silicone.
If there is no way the floor sensor can be installed, the thermostat itself can be ran in either air sensing or regulator mode. Neither of these will be as efficient or accurate as floor sensing, but it will heat.
My thermostat says ER3. What does this mean?
ER3 is an error code that means the SunStat Pro can't find the sensor. This generally happens if power is supplied to the thermostat before the sensor is wired.
Try resetting the SunStat Pro to clear up this error. To reset the thermostat, cycle through your options using the option button until you come to the screen that says "soft v1.x". While on this screen, press and hold the up and down arrows at the same time until the words "rst done" appear. The error should clear.
No, you can not cut the heating element. Our cables are resistance based and if cut will overheat and melt. Due to this, we offer mats and wire in a range of sizes. Cutting the heating element will also void the warranty.
The mesh around the element in our mats, however, can be cut to suit your installation needs.
If the wire has been cut, we offer a repair kit to mend the wire, and various methods of finding the cut if it has been installed.
I have too much mat/wire! What do I do?
There are a couple things you can do.
First off, do not ever cut the wire. Because this is a resistance-based heating system, changing the length of the wire will change the resistance, and will cause the wire to overheat and melt.
The first thing to try is running the wire in places you may not have any. One of the best places is behind the toilet. Just be sure you stay 4" from the wax ring at all times.
You might try changing the spacing of the wire from the normal 2.5" down to 2". This is an easy way to get rid of a few extra feet. Simply re-space the last small portion of the heating elements.
If you remained 4" or more from the walls, you can go back around the perimeter, running the extra wire 2" from the walls.
If there is just no way to use up your existing heating element, it will need to be returned, and a smaller sized system can be purchased.
Can I cut the power lead and sensor wire?
If, after pulling the lead and sensor up to your junction box, you find you have a foot or two extra, you may trim those two leads back. This will not effect the resistance reading of either.
Why don't I get any resistance to my green wire?
The green wire is your ground wire. No resistance from black to green and white to green is the reading you want.
You can just write "0" in your resistance log and continue the installation!
However, if you ever do get resistance to your green wire, then you would have a short to ground. Your heating element would then need to be repaired.
Why don't I get any resistance to my sensor wire?
There might be two reasons for this.
First, ensure your meter is not still set to the 200 ohm setting needed for testing the heating elements. You will need to change the meter to the 20k ohms setting to test the sensor.
Second, ensure you aren't using an automatic, or Fluke, meter. These types of meters do not seem to be able to read over 10,000 ohms, and typically cannot see the sensor, which is usually at 12,000 - 14,000 ohms. To resolve this, either dip the sensor in hot water to bring the resistance down, or wire the sensor to the thermostat and then supply power. If it displays the correct temperature, your sensor is fine.
What do I do if I forgot to install the sensor?
The best option would be to remove part of a grout line, drop the sensor in there, and re-grout over the top. However, you will need 3/8" to 1/4" wide grout lines to do this.
If you have access to the floor from below, you can carefully drill a 45 degree angled hole upwards, stopping below the level of the heating elements, and put the sensor there. Hold it in place with a bead of silicone.
If there is no way the floor sensor can be installed, the thermostat itself can be ran in either air sensing or regulator mode. Neither of these will be as efficient or accurate as floor sensing, but it will heat.
My thermostat says ER3. What does this mean?
ER3 is an error code that means the SunStat Pro can't find the sensor. This generally happens if power is supplied to the thermostat before the sensor is wired.
Try resetting the SunStat Pro to clear up this error. To reset the thermostat, cycle through your options using the option button until you come to the screen that says "soft v1.x". While on this screen, press and hold the up and down arrows at the same time until the words "rst done" appear. The error should clear.