Frequently Asked Questions

Why SunTouch?

Will an in floor radiant heating system weaken my floor?

The SunTouch in floor radiant heating mat has been tested in a tile floor by the Tile Council of America and complies with ASTM C 627, officially known as "EVALUATING CERAMIC FLOOR TILE INSTALLATION SYSTEMS USING THE ROBINSON-TYPE FLOOR TESTER". This test is designed to evaluate complete ceramic tile installations for failure under loads. It tests for deflection on various bases, such as mortar for Portland cement installations, concrete for thin-bed installations, and plywood with a composition board or other sheeting material. Floors that pass the Robinson Test are rated for "heavy" use. SunTouch electric radiant floor heat appears to improve the performance of tile floors by adding additional tensile strength to the tile and mortar sandwich. We recommend installing all tile and stone floors according to TCA and ANSI (American National Standards Institute) specifications.

I've heard of some electric radiant floor products burning out prematurely. How is your product better than theirs?

No one builds a better heating wire than SunTouch. The SunTouch heating wire is insulated with DuPont® Tefzel®, which is a high temperature, chemically-resistant and abrasion-resistant polymer, like Teflon®. Competing products use cheaper polymers like PVC. We also use the same DuPont Kevlar® that goes into bullet proof vests to reinforce the wire so it has greater pull-strength. Competing products use cheaper polyesters or no reinforcing at all. We use only oxygen-free copper alloysfor the heating elements to make them more corrosion resistant. We use multiple heating elements inside each dual wire; most competitors use only one. We armor our dual wire construction with a corrosion resistant copper tinned copper shield and then cover the whole cable with a water resistant polymer. Our heating wire is lead-free so it's better for people and the environment.

Is there any advantage to a "low voltage" electric radiant heating system?

There is no advantage to a low voltage system. SunTouch and competitors have to deliver about the same amount of energy to the floor to satisfy our customers. They use fewer volts and more amperage and we use more voltage and less amperage. Low voltage systems use clunky transformers that we found to be noisy, hot and hard to hide. All North American bathrooms have access to 120 Volt service and by code, you must install your SunTouch system with GFCI or ALCI protection. These reliable technologies detect ground faults and they will disconnect the energy to your heating system within milliseconds if there is danger. Low voltage systems are not low EMF systems and before you buy any product, you should ask for their policy on Electromagnetic Field (EMF) shielding.

Why does SunTouch have only one connection at the beginning of the mat and other products have connections at each end of their product?

We use a dual wire construction that electricians and tile installers really appreciate. At the end of our electric radiant heat mat, you'll notice a small black factory assembly where the heating wires are crimped, soldered, and wrapped with shrink-tube. Other products make you figure out how to get both ends of the heating element back to point you started from. SunTouch electric in floor radiant heat gives you a single connection to make: at the control where you started laying out your mat. Floor warming mats with two power leads are a big hassle... and we've eliminated that hassle.

Your Power Lead has thicker wires than some competing products I've seen. What difference does that make?

We use AWG 14 gauge, green/white/black wire that is color coded to North American NEC standards. Some competitors use odd colors or smaller size wire, but SunTouch is built to a higher standard.

Why does your power lead use a braided metal cover?

The cover costs more money, but it's worth it. It helps protect the wires against jobsite abuse. It's also joined to the green ground wire, so your SunTouch mat is fully grounded from the start of the Power Leads and through the heating wires to the very end of the mat.

The power lead is thicker than the mat. How does that install?

Power leads only run a short distance on the floor before they transition to a wall. If necessary, use a router or chisel to lower their profile into the subfloor.

How does a SunTouch electric radiant floor compare to a hydronic (water based) radiant floor?

In general, hydronic radiant systems work best in larger areas or for whole houses. You need space in your floor for the tubes and room in your mechanical room for a water heating appliance and the pumps, valves and fittings that accompany it. Hydronic systems allow you pick your lowest cost fuel, which might be natural gas, oil, propane, solar, or electric. SunTouch is limited to electric. If you have a smaller area to warm, like a master bathroom, kitchen, entryway or sunspace; SunTouch Radiant Mat or WarmWire is a better choice. SunTouch is simpler than hydronic, takes up less space, goes in faster and for small areas, the per square foot cost is much lower. Once the system is installed, your floors will feel wonderful regardless of the approach you choose. For more information about hydronic radiant heating and snow melting, please visit www.wattsradiant.com.

What is EMF and what relevance does it have to electric floor warming?

EMF stands for ElectroMagnetic Field and it is a byproduct of alternating electric current passing through wires and appliances. Human exposure to ambient levels of EMF is the subject of continuing scientific scrutiny and the results are a matter of public record. For those who are concerned, the Federal a Government recommends minimizing exposure to EMF's in the home and workplace. Elevated EMF levels can also interfere with electronic devices including computer screens and is usually included on lists of causes for "sick building syndrome".

There is no practical technology to completely shield an electric heating element in order to minimize EMF. The only viable approach is to spiral two wires side by side so the fields cancel each other. SunTouch innovated this approach years ago and was granted U.S. patent number 6,303,905. The EMF generated at floor level by radiant floor heating systems that use only one wire is many times normal ambient levels. Using dual wires for EMF cancellation is more expensive, but it is the safest choice. Any single wire heating element used in radiant floor heating is a compromise and should, in our opinion, be avoided.

Safer electronic emission practices have been adopted by manufacturers of microwave ovens, electric blankets, video monitors and cell phones to name a few. SunTouch has already taken this important step and that is another reason why it is your best choice.

How does SunTouch electric radiant floor heat compare to Warmly Yours?

• SunTouch electric radiant floor heat is built with dual wires that cancel out measurable electromagnetic fields (EMF) when measured one half inch above an installed tile floor. Unfortunately, WY has no effective shielding against EMF and uses only a single wire instead of the more expensive dual wire design. See this link for more information.
• SunTouch heating wires are the best in the industry. They are built with DuPont Tefzel for insulation, DuPont Kevlar for reinforcing and low oxygen alloys for the heating elements. If you want the best and longest lived wires, SunTouch is the best choice.
• Single point connection. SunTouch electric in floor radiant heat is built with dual heating wires that are joined together at the factory at one end of the mat. At the other end are the armored power leads that are connected to the control. Cheaper mats use only a single wire, which means your installer has to figure out how to return the wire at the far end of the mat to the control location.
• Fully grounded, metal reinforced Power leads. SunTouch electric in floor radiant heat is built with a braided metal cover on its Power Leads that provide additional jobsite projection. The armored cover is also wired into the ground at the control location and connected to the ground shield in the heating wires woven into the mat. This means the entire SunTouch radiant heated mat is grounded from one end to the other. Compare this important safety feature with WY.
• WY mats come from offshore somewhere and their power leads are not built with NEC code recommended colors for North America. You've got to hope the electrician gets it right.
• Tile Council of America will test any radiant floor heating product to see how it affects the strength of a commercial tile floor installation. This is called the Robinson Floor Test. Although it's a much tougher test than you would find in a typical residence, it provides independent, third party assurance that your radiant product is not going to jeopardize the strength of your floor. To our knowledge, only SunTouch electric in floor radiant heat has passed this test. Thinset mortar and SunTouch webbing provide additional tensile strength to the floor while allowing the backer board below and tile above to be firmly adhered together.
• The spacing of the SunTouch heating wires is optimized to your comfort. When the electric radiant floor mat is embedded under a tile floor, you cannot detect temperature variations over the surface of the floor. WY seems preoccupied with wire spacing, but human tests and Infrared thermography confirms that SunTouch wire spacing is optimal.
• SunTouch electric in floor radiant heat is patented and manufactured in North America. We're a subsidiary of Watts Water Technologies, a worldwide company which began providing safety equipment for heating systems in 1874. That's a pedigree and record of trust that nobody can match. You can find Watts Water Technologies on the New York Stock Exchange as WTS and at www.wattswater.com.
• SunTouch is warranted for twenty-five (25) years by Watts Radiant, which is a subsidiary of Watts Water Technologies.

How does SunTouch electric radiant floor heat compare to the NUHEAT product?

• NuHeat is a membrane that holds heating wires. That membrane is a physical barrier that separates the layers in your tile floor. The Tile Council of America will test any radiant floor heating product to see how it affects the strength of a commercial tile floor installation. This is called the Robinson Floor Test. Although it's a much tougher test than you would find in a typical residence, it provides independent, third party assurance that your radiant product is not going to jeopardize the strength of your floor. To our knowledge, only SunTouch electric radiant heat has passed this test. Thinset mortar and SunTouch webbing provide additional tensile strength to the floor while allowing the backer board below and tile above to be firmly adhered together.
• SunTouch electric in floor radiant heating systems are built with dual wires that cancel out measurable electromagnetic fields (EMF) when measured one half inch above an installed tile floor. Unfortunately, NuHeat has no effective shielding against EMF and uses only a single wire instead of the more expensive dual wire design. See this link for more information.
• SunTouch heating wires are the best in the industry. The wires are the worst place to cut corners, so SunTouch uses DuPont Tefzel for insulation, DuPont Kevlar for reinforcing and low oxygen alloys for the heating elements. If you want the best and longest lived wires, SunTouch is the best choice.
• The spacing of the SunTouch electric radiant heating wires are optimized to your comfort. When the mat is embedded under a tile floor, you cannot detect temperature variations over the surface of the floor. Wires any closer together is a waste of money and any further apart will be noticed.
• SunTouch electric radiant heating systems are designed to be formed on the jobsite to fit any size or shape room. That means we have the inventory to fit your exact project without having to pay extra or wait for a "custom" mat.
• SunTouch can be "self-leveled" with thinset mortar in one step. That's because our open weave allows mortar to flow through and bond with the substrate below. Mortar cannot flow through NuHeat and bond to the substrate below.
• Regardless of size of SunTouch mats, they all have the same price per square foot, so it's really easy to quote any project, quickly. Every NuHeat mat has a different price per square foot.
• We're a subsidiary of Watts Water Technologies which began providing safety equipment for heating systems in 1874. That's a pedigree and record of trust that nobody can match. You can find Watts Water Technologies on the New York Stock Exchange as WTS and at www.wattswater.com.
• SunTouch is warranted for twenty-five (25) years, with no "pro-rate" clause over time by Watts Radiant, which is a subsidiary of Watts Water Technologies.

Is SunTouch electric radiant flooring an efficient way to heat?

All the electricity used by the SunTouch wires is converted to useful heat. Gas appliances only convert a percentage to heat; the rest is lost up the stack. Of course, for many people, gas or oil is more economical per BTU than electricity, even considering the conversion loss. A lot depends on the price you pay for these energy sources and how careful you are with insulation. Generally speaking, SunTouch electric radiant heating systems are used to warm fairly small areas and most people use programmable controls or timers so they aren't warming the floor all the time. Radiant floor heating is a much more efficient way to warm a space than forced air or baseboard (which works by mostly warming the air). Radiant systems broadcast energy at the speed of light from the floor to warm all the surfaces of the room. The air temperature stays lower so there is less heat loss through windows and air infiltration, yet your comfort is greater.

What's the warranty on your product and how long do you think it will last?

We offer a twenty-five (25) year product replacement warranty. We think the product will last a great deal longer because of several design decisions we made years ago. The great danger to any heating cable in a bathroom floor is oxidation caused by moisture. So, we use a very expensive wire insulation called Tefzel by DuPont. The physical properties of this polymer are unmatched for the application, notably its water resistance, dielectric properties and long-term temperature aging. We also use oxygen-free alloys in our heating elements to give them greater longevity. No one builds a better heating element wire than SunTouch.