New Portable Snow Melting – Just in Time for Snowfall!

I'm Scott Rosenbaum, WarmlyYours Technical Support and Engineering Manager. Today, I'd like to share the details of an installation of HeatTrak outdoor portable heating mats to show you how easy it is. The WarmlyYours team recently put two HeatTrak systems in a local home in Kildeer, IL. The application called for entryway and stairway snow melting.

For the entryways, we took the mats out of the box and placed them in the desired locations. Then we plugged the ALCI protected plug into an outlet. It was that simple.

For the stairways, first we verified that the correct quantities of mats were shipped. Then we placed the mats on the stairs, centering them in the walking area of each stair. Once the mats were placed, we checked for proper routing of the power cable that runs to each mat. The cord that is included with each order is long enough to properly place the radiant mats on most normal depth stairs. (If the stairs to be heated are more than 13" -14" deep, an optional longer cord should be used.) Next we plugged the stair mats into one other. Finally, we plugged the ALCI equipped plug from the first mat into a power outlet. At this point, we verified proper operation of the system. If one or more of the mats weren't heating we would double check to ensure that the cords were fully seated into the input & output sides of the individual stair mats.

However, all of the mats were working properly and the layout was approved so we attached each radiant heating mat to the corresponding stair using the appropriate fastener for the surface material. (I.e. wood screws, concrete screws, etc.). That was all there was to it.

With winter fast approaching, now is the ideal time to install a portable snow melting system. Save yourself the cost of salt and other snow melting materials plus the hours spent shoveling your sidewalk and stairways. With very little time and effort HeatTrak portable radiant heating mats are installed and ready to make your life easier.

To see all of the new HeatTrak® snow melting systems, just click on http://www.warmlyyours.com/products/snow-melting/.

In addition to the HeatTrak portable heating mats, other applications include outdoor radiant heating cables for heated driveways, sidewalks and gutter deicing.

WarmlyYours Appoints Scott Rosenbaum as Technical Support and Engineering Manager

In an effort to expand its industry-leading 24/7 technical support service, WarmlyYours has recently hired Scott Rosenbaum in the role of Technical Support and Engineering Manager. Mr. Rosenbaum previously held the position of Technical Training Supervisor at Life Fitness, a Division of Brunswick and a Fortune 500 company. He brings extensive experience in technical product design and training of global technical support teams. Mr. Rosenbaum traveled extensively to 28 countries around the globe, including France, Mexico and Brazil to train Life Fitness’ global network of support specialists.

At WarmlyYours, Mr. Rosenbaum's responsibilities will include managing WarmlyYours' team of technical support representatives, and leading the company's efforts to offer the best customer support in the electric floor heating industry. "Today, we're answering over 95% of customer calls within 30 seconds", expressed Julia Billen, WarmlyYours Chief Executive Officer "and Scott Rosenbaum's technical expertise will help us maintain the highest level of support”.

"I'm proud to be part of a team that is working around the clock to ensure unmatched technical support for each and every customer", voiced Mr. Rosenbaum "and I am confident that we will successfully build on WarmlyYours' reputation as the support leader in the radiant floor heating industry".

To learn more about WarmlyYours 24/7 Technical Support, please visit www.WarmlyYours.com/install/

WarmlyYours Featured in the November Issue of "Real Simple" Magazine

With a circulation of 1,950,000 readers, Real Simple magazine is one of the fastest growing and most popular magazines in the nation.

In the November 2008 issue, editors took note of WarmlyYours electric radiant floor heating systems and featured our TempZone system for tile, stone and hardwood floor coverings.

Real Simple observed that "Radiant heat is more energy efficient than a typical forced-air system because the floor retains heat, so you can keep your thermostat at a lower level than usual". In addition to the cost effective advantages, the magazine also extolled the health benefits of electric radiant heat: "Radiant heat also improves indoor air quality because it doesn't blow dust particles around the way traditional heating systems do." Other applications include our Environ II systems for heating under carpet, laminate, and floating wood floors.

“I thought I’d died and gone to heaven” – the NY Times Features a Sunroom installation with a WarmlyYours System

Emile de Planque, a WarmlyYours customer from Fairfax, Va., was interviewed by the New York Times about the installation of radiant floor heating in his sunroom.
“It was a three-season sunroom,” he said, where the glass walls provided a beautiful vista of the golf course behind his home. He could relax with his morning coffee, bask in the sunlight and simply soak in the view. The problem was that even with a motel-style heating unit he was unable to use the room in winter.
To convert the sunroom into an all season room that he could enjoy year round, he ordered heating mats from WarmlyYours and pulled up the old tile floor. The installation of the mats was easy even for a first time Do-It-Yourselfer. Although it’s been over a year since Mr. de Planque installed his new warm floor, he still remembers the magic of the moment. “We turned the thermostat on to 72 degrees,” he said. “I came out barefoot and when I stepped on the porch, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven.”
To view the entire article featuring both a bathroom and a sunroom warmed with WarmlyYours heated floors, click here:

WarmlyYours in the NY Times

Radiant Floor Heating One of Top 10 Most Popular Home Features

According to a new 2008 study from "Residential Design Build" magazine, radiant floor heating is the 10th most popular feature new homeowners want in their homes. Energy efficiency, home offices, home theaters or an outdoor living space topped the list, but radiant floor heating came ahead of more recognizably popular features such as sunrooms, whirlpools or steam rooms. Increasingly, homeowners are discovering the value of adding radiant floor heating to their homes.

Most Popular Features:
1. Multipurpose family/media room
2. Energy efficiency
3. Home office
4. Great room
5. Outdoor living space
6. Lower level master suite
7. Home theater
8. Finished lower level
9. Tankless water heater
10. Radiant floor heating
11. Structured wiring
12. Sunrooms
13. Guest wing/suite
14. Lighting control system
15. Distributed audio/video
16. Other
17. Dual shower stations
18. Child's play area
19. Back up power
20. Whirlpools

Tales from the Trenches: DIY Installation in a Chicago Bathroom

Hi, I’m Eric, the Computer Support specialist at WarmlyYours and now first-time Do-It-Yourself installer of a WarmlyYours radiant floor heating system. Last weekend I installed the system in my brother’s bathroom and was able to perform most of the installation myself. This was my first genuine installation from start to finish, and I want to share my experience along with a few helpful tips for other first-time installers and do-it-yourselfers. The sub flooring that I used in the bathroom just beneath the electric radiant floor heating system was Hardi Backer Board. I cemented the boards down to the plywood sub flooring, then used screws every 8".
The Hardi board was great because all of the areas were pre-marked for driving the screws in. After the boards were cemented and screwed down, I secured the seams in between the boards with more thinset cement (this was a non-modified type) and joint seam tape for sub flooring. This made the floor rock solid. It will take a California earthquake to crack this floor. After my sub floor was secure, I laid out the mat according to the custom installation plan provided by WarmlyYours engineering staff. I ran into one problem with the plan, but that was because I forgot to mention that there was a floor vent in the "water closet" of the bathroom.No worries because the nice thing about the WarmlyYours floor heating system design is that I was able to cut and turn the mat to fit around the vent while still using up the entire length. I definitely appreciated the flexibility of being able to cut-&-turn the WarmlyYours heating mat to fit the actual jobsite layout (note to myself to take better measurements next time!). To secure the heating mat to the sub floor, I decided to use a hot glue gun since my staples were just bending and not piercing the Hardi Backer board. I used a lot of glue every few inches to make sure the mat would hold in place. The glue dried quickly so by the time I finished gluing the surface was ready for my first coat of thinset cement. I tested the ohms on my floor heating mat before I laid it down on the floor, and again after my cuts and turns, and then one last time after I applied my layer of thinset. Ohms were almost spot on to what the white label said they should be on the mat. Using the flat side of my trowel I mixed up a really watered down modified thinset. I could have used self leveling cement; however, I had bought too much thinset mix already.

The thinset laid down pretty flat, but some of my hot glue dots were too high. So if you ever glue down a mat don't get too crazy with the glue. It doesn't take much to hold down the WarmlyYours floor heating mat as it already lays out pretty flat to start. Some areas of the bathroom were not covered by floor heat (under the sink vanity) so I had to level out those areas to be even with the rest of the room.  I could have used a large float to make it level, however on a construction site there are plenty of 2 x 4's, so I just used one of those. My goal was to cover the floor heating mat just enough so that I wouldn't have to be as careful with the trowel when I laid the thinset down for the tiles. So my initial layer of thinset was about the thickness of the mat and I could still see the shape of the mesh after the thinset dried.

The electrical line was installed by a licensed electrician (my uncle). I wired the thermostat up myself after the bathroom floor was in. I've wired basic light switches and outlets before so wiring the thermostat was really no different.  I reduced the amount of cold lead wire coming out of the box so that it wouldn't be all coiled up in there. By the way, this does NOT affect the heating ability of the mat. It is summer and the house is still under construction so my brother has yet to fully experience the warmth of the floor. We did turn it on for about 30 min to make sure that you could feel the bathroom tiles warm up. Generally it will take 30-45 min before you feel a noticeable difference by touching your hand to the floor. We felt an unheated tile in the closet to compare and wow what a difference it makes – my brother is now actually looking forward to the winter season to really make the most of his new heated bathroom floor!

Commercial Snow Melting Application For A Local Business In Lincolnshire, IL

Pro/Craft Contracting, a contractor based in Gurnee, IL, discovered WarmlyYours snow-melting capabilities through our website. The project he was bidding on required heating a stairway and landing for a local business. Finding a solution to fit this application was a challenge. Two zones needed to be heated. Zone # 1 was 12 concrete stair treads that were 48" wide. Usually, WarmlyYours designs for two passes of cable per tread, but in this case, with the long cable length and the lower wattage, 3 passes would have to be used to successfully cover each step with enough heat. We specified two identical custom-made mineral insulated snowmelt cable assemblies. Each cable was 159 ft, 240 V, and each would deliver approx. 3,450 watts (21 watts per lineal ft). Normally, the heating cable for a snow melting application is designed to approx. 27 to 30 watts per ft but we shortened the spacing with 3 passes to increase the wattage per square foot to the right level. Zone #2 was a 66 sq ft concrete landing. With 5" spacing, the 2nd cable fit perfectly into this area, generating sufficient heat to melt the snow.

The rest of the specification was simple enough to "break." Our automatic controller provided snow detection with an aerial mounted snow sensor complete with manual override on the front cover. A simple relay panel was provided for load switching.

All WarmlyYours snow melting cable systems come with a comprehensive 10-year warranty designed to provide consumer peace of mind.

Other applications for outdoor radiant heating cables include heated driveways, sidewalks and gutter deicing.