Flextherm XPRESS Guide D'installation page 2

YOUR SAFETY IS IMPORTANT TO US
This guide contains instructions regarding safety as well as precautions to take to ensure a compliant and successful
installation. Please pay special attention to this symbol and follow any instruction given.
Congratulations, you are now a FLEXTHERM Floor Warming & Heating System
owner. To ensure the best possible installation, please read the following
guide before you begin. Ensure that the installation is in accordance with the
current construction standards in your region.
This product is designed to be embedded in concrete and installed either:
• on the rigid insulation of the concrete slab of a maximum of 5 inches;
• on a plywood or OSB subfloor with a minimum 1.5 inch topping;
• on a concrete subfloor with a minimum 1.5 inch topping.
The Concrete Mat Xpress is made of a self-adhesive mesh on which is fixed a
19.7 W / linear meter (6 W / linear foot) heating cable at a regular spacing of
15.2 cm (6 in), producing 129.2 W/m
This product can be used as a main source of heating (provided the heat
loss of the room falls below the energy installation capabilities) or as an
added touch of comfort at your feet. The ambient and floor temperatures
that can be achieved are dependent on the insulation of the room and of
the slab, window coverage, type of floor covering used, etc. To learn more
about the performance of the system for your particular installation, refer to
the construction professional managing your project.
This system is designed and approved for interior room heating in wet or
dry environments, subject to local electrical standards. For any additional
information, please consult your authorized FLEXTHERM dealer.
HEATING CABLE, SERIES TYPE G AND W CANADA,
TYPE C USA
The Concrete Mat Xpress is an electrical appliance and should be installed
according to the local and-or national electrical codes. Its installation should
be entrusted to a qualified electrical professional where required by law.
Required materials and tools for installation
In order to install your system, you will need the following items:
1. FLEXTHERM Concrete Mat Xpress kit, including the installation guide and
anchors provided.
2. FLEXTHERM thermostat and floor probe, sold separately.
3. Conduit for thermal probe (product # FLS1260T), if required, sold
separately.
4. Expanded electrical connection box (for the thermostat).
5. Appropriate multimeter.
6. Megohmmeter.
7. Styrofoam panel reinforced with plywood (for cable protection during
concrete pour) (figure 13).
8. Various tools: measuring tape, calculator, electrical tape, scissors to
cut the substrate, solvent-free spray paint or equivalent to mark wall
location, permanent fixtures, etc. on the thermal insulation.
9. Cardboard or other light material (to put the tools on).
10. According to the application, staples (installation on plywood or OSB)
or hot glue (installation on concrete; anticipate approximately one glue
stick per 25 sq. ft.).
WARNING: Under no circumstance should the heating cable integrated in
the mesh be damaged, pierced or held in place through the use of staples;
the functionality of the floor heating system can be compromised. Only
the mesh can be stapled.
2
(12 W/ft ).
2 2
Floor surface preparation
The design, construction and power of the Concrete Mat Xpress make it a
product specifically engineered for embedding in a concrete slab or under a
concrete topping.
If embedded in a concrete slab: over a bed of crushed stone, gravel or graded
sand, install and seal a high density incompressible thermal insulation to
minimize heat loss. Respect your local construction code relating to insulation.
Prepare the surface that will receive the concrete slab or topping in accordance
with the local code in effect in your area. Mark the limits of the area to be
heated, the future partitions, walls, control or expansion joints and any other
obstacle that has to be skirted (main drain, column, fixed furniture, etc.).
Note: In the case of an installation on the insulation of a concrete slab or
on a concrete subfloor covered with a concrete topping, the Concrete
Mat Xpress can be installed under control joints and fixed objects such
as vanities, kitchen islands, cupboards, etc. since the increased concrete
mass helps spread heat evenly. However, in the case of a plywood or OSB
subfloor with a concrete topping of more than 1.5 inch and less than 3
inches, the Concrete Mat Xpress cannot be installed under control joints
and fixed objects since the heat trapped in the smaller mass of the
concrete topping could cause the heating cable to age prematurely.
Regardless of the chosen installation method, we can never install the
Concrete Mat Xpress under partitions and walls since each closed room
must have its own mat and thermostat.
Note: If a vapor barrier is required, install the Concrete Mat Xpress directly
on the vapor barrier that has previously been installed on the thermal
insulation (on which the concrete slab will be poured).
Room measurements verification
IMPORTANT: Accurate measurements are the key to a successful
installation. Verify your measurements and recalculate your net
heated area before installing the product in order to ensure that
you have the appropriate mat length.
IMPORTANT: Never connect the cable while the mat is still
rolled up. To test the mat, follow the "Mat verification"
procedure.
Mat verification
The mat seal (orange tie) warrants the integrity of the product. The mat
cannot be returned if the seal is broken. As a quality assurance measure, each
mat has been subjected to a 1,500 V dielectric test and a resistance test.
Before removing the orange tie (figure 1) and installing the system, you
should test the insulation and resistance of the cable integrated in your mat
to ensure product conformity. You will have to verify the product integrity
again once the mat is secured to the installation surface and once it has been
covered with concrete. These tests are conducted a few times to make certain
that no damage has been caused during the different stages of installation.
Concrete Mat Xpress Installation Guide