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installations. For the most part electric floor- warming components consist of a heating mat with cables or loose wire cables which is installed right beneath the tile and stone surface and a wall-mounted thermostat. Todays simple-to-use digital and programmable thermostats generally have been designed for installation in conjunction with the same com- panys floor warming cable mats. It makes sense to use a heating ele- ment as well as a thermostat from the same firm as well. That way users have the confidence of pur- chasing a product with components covered by a single source. Installing the system Surprisingly to many the entire installation process is easier than you might think. To begin with one should make a scale drawing of the floor plan mapping out the walking area where the heating mat will be positioned. It should not be placed under or closely adjacent to cabi- nets tubs and showers. Additionally it should be at least 6 150 mm away from wax toilet seals. If need- ed technical assistance is quickly available from key manufacturers whose support staff generally can determine the optimal layout and quantity of the heating mat. There are software layout tools available as well. For example some select radiant heat manufacturer engineers have created simplified software layout tools which makes adding radiant floor heating virtually effort- less allowing even a beginner to complete a floor heating layout in minutes. The radiant heat system should be checked at various times during the installation process to ensure that no shorts cuts or other damage has occurred to the heating ele- ment. Some manufacturers include a fail-safe element that will warn the installers if a short has occurred. Make sure to follow the manufac- turers step-by-step installation pro- cess to ensure that the integrity of the system is maintained from start to finish. Once the heating mat is put in place and all electrical work is com- plete what comes next is the tile installation. While most electric floor-warming systems on the market today are compatible with any tile finish there are certain installation products that work better than oth- ers. In particular high performance ANSI A118.15-compliant latex thin- set mortars are designed for optimal performance when used in conjunc- tion with electric floor-warming sys- tems ANSI A118.4 compliant latex thin set mortars are allowed when an appropriate membrane is used. In addition the use of self-leveling BY THE BOOK 96 TileLetter May 2016