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Frequently Asked Questions about Step Warmfloor™ Q1. What is STEP Warmfloor™? How safe is
the product? ANSWER A1. What is STEP Warmfloor™? How safe is the product? STEP Warmfloor™ is a strong, flexible, thin plastic heating mat. It is made of an innovative polymer blend that heats when electricity is passed through the material. Unlike other types of radiant floor heating, STEP Warmfloor™ has the unique ability to self-regulate. So by design it cannot overheat. STEP Warmfloor™ operates on low voltage and is normally connected to a 24 V transformer, but can also be run by solar or wind powered source. To provide power continuously along its length, a flat bus braid is embedded in the plastic sheet heater along each edge. Our system is energy efficient when continuously energised, allowing the self-regulating nature of the heating elements to control the floor temperature. STEP Warmfloor™ is a very safe product and ideally suited for bathrooms and other wet environments. Because it is mainly a polymer it is unaffected by moisture. STEP Warmfloor™ is a low voltage system (24V). Further the product has met stringent international ETL listing protocol and conforms to the ANSI/UL - 1963 standard. back to Questions A2. How long has STEP Warmfloor™ been used? The self-regulating polymer technology was developed in 1981 and first used to provide heated seats for automobiles. Since then the technology has been used in a variety of applications, including the floor covering area. Hundreds of thousands of square feet of STEP Warmfloor™ have been installed globally. back to Questions A3. What types of floors can STEP Warmfloor™ be used under? STEP Warmfloor™ provides such even and gentle heating that it can be used under almost any flooring including carpet, vinyl, laminate, marble, stone, tile and even under wood. back to Questions A4. Can STEP Warmfloor™ heat my whole house? STEP Warmfloor™ can easily be used as the only heat source. It is used in extreme cold areas such as Norway, Alaska and Ushuaia. Using this heating system eliminates the need for a forced air furnace, which blows dust and particles around. Each room can be individually controlled. back to Questions A5. Can I use STEP Warmfloor™ just to take the chill off my floor while heating the room with another source? Yes. Floor warming is perfect for STEP Warmfloor™. Bathroom floors will be pleasantly comfortable for your bare feet on a morning. The system can be used for floor warming in a single room while a different heat source is used to heat the whole house. Remember that other rooms can benefit from a warm floor - kitchens, hallways, family rooms etc. back to Questions A6. Can STEP Warmfloor™ be used for renovation? STEP Warmfloor™ is ideal for renovation and new construction. Because the product is so thin (1.2mm) and flexible it can be installed without needing to change the height of moulding, door or cabinets. Additionally, each room can be individually controlled. back to Questions A7. Can STEP Warmfloor™ be installed under an existing floor? Yes - as long as you have access to the sub floor. STEP Warmfloor™ can be installed between floor joists without altering your existing floor. We highly recommend insulation below the elements. back to Questions A8. Can STEP Warmfloor™ be used to heat my extension? Many residential extensions become expensive when the size of the forced air furnace has to be increased to handle the additional heating requirements. Instead, install the STEP Warmfloor™ system in an extension as the primary heat source and leave the existing furnace alone. back to Questions A9. Where else in the house can STEP Warmfloor™ be used? STEP Warmfloor™ is great under driveways and paths
to prevent snow and ice build up. A10. Can STEP Warmfloor™ overheat? Because of its polymer design STEP Warmfloor™ cannot
overheat. As the material gets warmer, less amount of electricity passes
through the plastic and therefore less heat is generated. It's as if
you had a sensor over the whole floor. A11. What does self-regulating mean? All materials expand and contract with temperature. We take full advantage of this basic law of physics to create the "self-regulating" nature of the STEP Warmfloor™ heating element. When the STEP Warmfloor™ heating element is exposed to a cold temperature, on a molecular level, the conductive particles embedded in the plastic get shoved together. This creates many current paths between the bus braids, the current flows through the semi-conductive plastic, and heat is generated. When the temperature warms up, on a molecular level, the conductive particles get spread apart. This reduces the amount of current paths between the bus braids, causing the current flow to decrease, and less heat is generated. This "self-regulating" nature allows our heaters to respond to local conditions at the floor, providing a much more comfortable environment. The heaters will self-regulate up in heat output in front of an exterior door that has been opened and closed. The heat output will decrease in locations where sunlight is warming the floor. back to Questions A12. How does the STEP Warmfloor™ heating element generate heat? The heating STEP Warmfloor™ heating elements are unique in that they DO NOT use metal heating elements. Our heating element is constructed primarily of a plastic that becomes semi-conductive. It is the electricity passing from bus braid to bus braid through this semi-conductive plastic that generates the heat. back to Questions A13. How is STEP Warmfloor™ regulated? Can a thermostat be used? Floor warming in a small room such as a bath or foyer can be turned on and operated without controls by solely using the self-regulating nature of STEP Warmfloor™. If some control is desired, use a lighting dimmer for a magnetic transformer on the 120V or 240V side of the transformer. Make sure that the dimmer is rated for the wattage load of the system. For Total or Room Heat applications, STEP Warmfloor™ offers a unique digital pulser control unit called the DIGI. This device has both a thermostat with a digital display and set-point controls and an electronic regulator on the 120V or 240V side of the transformer. This allows the customer to add zone controls to individual areas of the residence while still taking advantage of the self-regulating nature of STEP Warmfloor™. back to Questions A14. Is STEP Warmfloor™ a patented technology? STEP Warmfloor™ was granted it's first US patent in 1999 and has other European and US patents. back to Questions A15. Has STEP Warmfloor™ won any awards? STEP Warmfloor™ has won several awards including:
A16. What are some of the areas where STEP Warmfloor™ technology has been used? The technology has been used in a variety of areas: These are only a few of the applications. that the
product has been used for. A17. How rugged is a STEP Warmfloor™ system? During shipping, handling and installation of the STEP Warmfloor™ system, care must be taken to ensure that the heating elements are not damaged. With that said, our heating elements are a rugged plastic sheet. Once placed on the floor, they can be walked on without fear of damage. Just don't drag equipment or construction supplies over the exposed elements. With the other electric systems that are on the market, their heaters are fragile thin wires and cables that can be easily damaged. Because of that, extreme care and caution must be taken to ensure that damage does not occur. back to Questions A18. Are there other radiant heating alternatives? Yes, there are. One method is to use hot water pipes placed below the floor. The water tubing is connected to a water boiler. The hot water from the boiler is circulating through the tubing to generate the radiant heat. Hydronic systems require maintenance for pumps and valves, are difficult to use for smaller areas and for retrofits in an existing home. Another alternative is the use of electric cables. These systems are fixed wattage and carry higher voltage (100V - 230V). They require thermostats, sensors and ground fault switches. back to Questions A19. What are the benefits of STEP Warmfloor™ over a hydronic system? Hydronic systems require maintenance for pumps and valves, are difficult to use for smaller areas and for retrofits in an existing home. back to Questions A20. What are the benefits of STEP Warmfloor™ heating system over forced air heat? Using STEP Warmfloor™ heating elements eliminates the need for a forced air furnace, which blows dust and particles around. Studies have shown that dust and particles aggravate asthma and other respiratory aliments. Even better each room can be individually controlled. What temperature does it take for us to feel comfortable? Do you know that if your feet are at warm and your head is at cool, you will feel perfectly comfortable? If you look at forced air heat, we are heating our living space from the ceiling down to the floor because heat rises. This means to get our feet moderately comfortable, the temperature at the ceiling may wind up very high. It takes a significant amount of energy to create and maintain that comfortable temperature at our feet in a forced air system. With radiant heat, we flop that temperature profile. The entire floor becomes the radiator. The temperature at the floor level is at that comfortable range while the temperature at our head is lower but still at a very comfortable temperature. The heat radiates up from the floor, warming all the objects in the room. Everything in the room will gain a nice, warm, comfortable feel to it. Even your bare feet propped up on the table will be comfortable from the warmed coffee table surface. The amount of energy required to create and maintain this comfortable temperature at our feet is significantly less than compared to forced air. back to Questions A21. What are the benefits of STEP Warmfloor™ over other electrical heat systems? These systems carry higher voltage (100V - 230V). They require thermostats, sensors and ground fault switches. With the other electric systems that are on the market, their heaters are fragile wires and cables that can be easily damaged. Because of that, extreme care and caution must be taken to ensure that damage does not occur. back to Questions A22. Why do my STEP Warmfloor™ elements not heat up before the finished floor is installed? Based on the self-regulating nature of our heating elements, the surface temperature of an element will not be warmer than the skin on your hand until it is embedded in some thermal mass and the generated heat can accumulate. The true test of heater operation before placement of the finished floor is through current measurements of the individual elements. A more simple test is to place a rug or blanket over the elements until the heat can accumulate and be noticeable to the touch. Please note that the normal skin temperature is 86°F and even when generating heat, the elements run cooler than this. back to Questions We hope this has helped if you require any more answers contact us |
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