Repairing Radiant Heat

Tic Tracer

Tic Tracer

One of the many strengths of electric radiant heat is the simplicity of repairing the heating element if something ever goes wrong. Warmquest works with unique, low voltage products which offer a significant benefit in the ease of installation and repair. This grants Tuff Cable and ZMesh incredible longevity, allowing these systems to handily outlive their 25 year warranties and frequently the surfaces they are installed beneath. The life span and reparability granted by these systems is a significant factor in the choice to use low voltage snow melting, floor heating, or roof deicing products.

Electric radiant heat benefits from being solid state, with no parts to wear out or maintain. The heating elements are generally protected as they are covered or embedded. In the rare situation that something does need to be repaired, Warmquest’s low voltage products make things simple.

Find the Problem
If a break has occurred in the heating element, it can usually be found rather quickly. A tic tracer is used to identify the location of the break in Tuff Cable or ZMesh. The tic tracer is connected to one of the cold leads and then sends a signal down the cable. These cold leads are the cables which bring power to the heating element, they can be located where they connect to the transformer housed in the control unit. When the receiver is no longer able to pick up the signal, a break is potentially present. To hone in on the damaged area, the tic tracer is then connected to the second cold lead and the process begins from the other end of the loop of heating element.

Repairing the Heating Element
If a break is discovered, a repair is fairly simple. When working with ZMesh the mesh will need to be uncovered in the area of the damage. This is often as simple as pulling up an area of flooring or some shingles. A splice kit can be ordered from Warmquest which will include specific instructions. The bronze splice plates allow you to cut out the area of damaged mesh and splice in a new piece.

Tuff Cable works in much the same way. If the cable is embedded in concrete or asphalt, a small area around the break would be removed. A splice kit from Warmquest contains what you need to repair the cable and then you would simply patch the concrete or asphalt. If the cable is in a sand bed under pavers it becomes even simpler as individual pavers are removed and then put back into place after the repair.

Retrofit installations are perhaps the simplest to repair as the layout of the cable is readily known and easy to trace, and the cables are easily accessible. This is an important reminder to document any installation with photos and notes.

The Warmquest team is available to provide support and guidance for all the systems we sell. Please give us a call with any questions regarding the operating of your system.

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