Fastwarm™

Loose Cable System

INS TA LL AT ION M A NU A L

Ultrathin cable

IEE Compliant to latest IEE regulations

UKCA approved

Lifetime warranty
This instruction manual
contains the information to
ensure the safe install and
operation of the cable or
cables.
Please ensure you read the floor covering
Contents
INSTALLATION REQUIREMENTS 4

instruction in conjunction with this manual.

If in any doubt contact the floor ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION 6

manufacturer or us before proceeding
with the install.
CABLE TESTING 8

INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS 9

WHAT TO DO & NOT TO DO 13

WARRANTY 15

CE approved
All our Fastwarm™ cables have been designed to conform to the current regs – Part P compliant.
If your installer is in any doubt concerning the installation, please call us.
TALK TO AN E XP ER T
0800 023 4203

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Installation Requirements
PLEASE READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS PRIOR TO STARTING INSTALLATION
→ The heating cable/thermostat requires → Do not cut or attempt to shorten the Red
Fastwarm™ loose cable system has been designed to a 230/240-Volt AC supply via a localized Heating Cable.
isolation point on an RCD protected circuit.
be installed below most tile or stone floor coverings. → The joint between the cold tail and the
THE INSTALLATION MUST CONFORM
→  heating cable must be below the floor
It may also be installed below engineered wood/laminated or vinyl floor coverings
TO THE CURRENT REGULATIONS AND covering and fully encapsulated in self
providing the heating cable has been covered with a 10mm layer of flexible self-
MUST BE CARRIED OUT BY A SUITABLY smoothing compound or tile adhesive. The
smoothing compound any underlay used for engineered wood or laminate floor
QUALIFIED PERSON. same applies to the end joint of the heating
covering must be a suitable low tog underlay product.
cable. The cold tail joint and the end joint
→ Fastwarm™ cables are 10 watts per linear must NOT be taped over this will cause the
Always check with the floor covering manufacturer that their product is suitable for
metre. joint to fail and invalidate the warranty.
under floor heating.

→ The wattage per square meter is → The Fastwarm™ cable system is suitable
determined by the spacing of the cable for installing on a sub floor which is sound
spacing the cables at 65 mm loops will and suitable for tiling.
achieve 150 watts per square meter, do not
place the cables closer than 50 mm at any → The subfloor must be checked by the
point. installer for suitability.
Contents Of Kit
NEVER OVERLAP THE CABLE (THIS WILL
→  → Do not use on timber floorboards, MDF
CAUSE THE CABLE TO FAIL) or hard board because these can absorb
moisture and then distort, causing the
→ The first part of the cable is the ‘cold tail” floor covering to move/dislodge or crack.
(coloured black) this is a three-core cable
live – neutral – earth. The live and the → NB newly screeded or concrete sub
neutral are connected to the thermostat floors must be allowed to fully dry (this
terminals and the earth to the incoming is typically 24 hours per 1mm of depth of
Drum or drums of twin core heating cable Acrylic floor primer Roller for application of floor primer supply earth. screed/concrete. Unless an accelerator
has been added to the screed/concrete.
→ The heating element is the Red Cable, and
this is a double insulated cable. IF IN ANY DOUBT THEN A MOISTURE
CONTENT TEST MUST BE DONE PRIOR TO
→ For larger areas two or more cables are INSTALLATION.
supplied.
Two cables can usually be connected at
the thermostat. More than two will need
to be terminated within a wall mounted
Fixing tape Programmable digital room thermostat 10mm diameter Conduit for floor sensor
inclusive of floor temperature sensor accessible junction box. (NB most
thermostats have a 16-Amp maximum
load)

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Installation By Qualified Person Installation Instructions

IMPORTANT Fastwarm™ electric underfloor heating system STEP 1
Any electrical installation presents a risk must be controlled via an RCD protected
of fire or electrical shock. circuit. For a system that does not exceed 13 Ensure the sub floor has been solidly fixed down and free of dust and debris.
amps a fused spur that has all pole separation Timber floorboards must be covered with a suitable thickness marine ply or
Only a qualified person should test and can be used. suitable tile backer boards ( PLEASE CONTACT FOR ADVICE IF YOU ARE UNSURE)
connect the installation, chase walls and
install back boxes for fused spurs and Any larger than a 13 Amp system a suitable Do not use XPS boards on a timber sub floor.
thermostats. protected device must be used. Bitumen coated floors must be covered by a tile backer board or 3 to 5 mm of a
self-smoothing compound that is suitable to cover bitumen.
This is to ensure all work conforms to current IF IN ANY DOUBT PLEASE CONTACT US
regulations. All connections must comply with Part P of the Never install a cable or mat onto a bitumen covered surface.
IEE regulations 18th edition.
DUE TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE
CURRENT IEE REGULATIONS PART P ONLY VERY IMPORTANT
STEP 2
A QUALIFIED PERSON SHOULD TEST AND All connections must comply with Part P of the
MAKE THE FINAL CONNECTIONS TO THE CURRENT IEE regulations..
INSTALLATION. Prime the floor with the acrylic based primer (this primer is not suitable for
Always install the thermostat for a Bathroom Anhydrite screeds).
outside of the bathroom and use the floor
sensor (probe) that is provided with the Leave to dry, typically 1 to 2 hours dependent of air temperature.
thermostat.
Avoid excess foot traffic on primed surface.

Always check that the self-smoothing compound and tile adhesive are
compatible with the primer (most are) but if in doubt check with the
manufacturer of the self-smoothing compound and adhesive.
Testing The Heating System
The Fastwarm™ cable is tested prior to shipping but it must be tested as follows STEP 3

1. After unpacking and prior to installation (record the readings) If using tile backer boards or XPS insulation boards, please follow the
2. At this point installing electrician must carry out a 500 Volt DC insulation manufacturer’s instructions.
resistance test (record the readings)
3. Once you have installed it on the sub floor (record the readings) Fix the boards in a brick bond fashion. Either fix the boards with a cement-
4. If a smooth levelling compound has been used test again prior to the final based tile adhesive or screws and washers. Fix the screws at a maximum
floor covering (record the readings) 300mm centres dependent on the sub floor.

The test is a reading in Ohms and can be within 10% plus or minus of the value
IMPORTANT
shown on the table on Page 8 (measured at a room temperature of 20 degrees.)
Do NOT use XPS insulations boards on to a timber sub floor, use tile
NB hot or cold conditions can cause the resistance to alter.
backer boards to give a stable sub floor.

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STEP 4 STEP 5

Calculate the cable spacing.

Refer to the testing procedure on Page 6 it is
very important that the testing is carried out.
IMPORTANT
This is a very important step and MUST be done correctly to ensure
all the cable is used up.

Length (M) Watts(W) Resistance (Ohms) Before you start measure the area to be heated in sqm (do not include the
area taken up by fixed objects such as toilets and kitchen units etc), then
11.5 115W 460.0 divide this area by the length of the cable shown on the drum. The cable is 10
14 140W 377.9 watts per linear metre so a 850 watt kit contains 85 metres of heating cable.
The spacing is calculated by dividing the total sqm of to be heated by the
17 170W 311.2 cable length in metres (example shown below).

22.5 225W 235.1

Example room: 2x3m (6m2) less 0.9 for bath and WC = 5.1m2. A 4.6 to 5.8m2
29 290W 182.4 loose cable kit would be suitable (cable length 76 metres).

35 350W 151.1
Cable spacing is calculated at 5.1 (room size) divided by 76 (cable length) =
40 400W 132.3 0.067m (6.7cms) leaving a gap of approx 5-10cms from edge of the room.

48 480W 110.2
Space at 10cm apart for output of 100w per m2 Space at 6cm apart for output of 165w per m2
56 560W 94.5
Space at 7.5cm apart for output of 135w per m2 Space at 5.5cm apart for output of 180w per m2
64 640W 82.7 Space at 6.7cm apart for output of 150w per m2 Space at 5cm apart for output of 200w per m2

70 700W 75.6

76 760W 69.6
STEP 6
82 820W 64.5

92 920W 57.5 When you have worked out the spacing leave a perimeter of 5-7cms around
the edge of the room and mark out the floor at the calculated spacings. This
104 1040W 50.9
will usually be between 5 and 10cms.
114 1140W 46.4
If your calculated spacing is less than 5cms, then do not continue and do not
125 1250W 42.3 install. The cable size is too big for the area.
145 1450W 36.5
A spacing of 10cms will only just warm the floor and not heat the room.
160 1600W 33.1
A heating source in most domestic situations would be between 5 -
180 1800W 29.4
7cms (this always depends on the insulation thickness and type of floor
construction).

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STEP 7 STEP 8

The red heater cable MUST NOT be cut or cross at any point (the heater Check and record the insulation resistance value and the cable resistance value.
cable/s should not be spaced closer than 50mm at any point anywhere).

If necessary adjust the spacing to ensure all the cable is used and the floor
has an even amount of cable covering it. Fix the tape over the cable at regular
intervals to ensure that it’s well taped to the floor.

Do not use excess tape over the cables, as it can create unnecessary air
pockets around the heating wire.
STEP 9
Do not use too much tape as It can also impede the bonding capability of the
levelling compound or tile adhesive. The cold tail from the cable has an earth which is a braided wire. If it is
necessary to shorten the cold tail, at the thermostat, then the earth braid
must be ‘unpicked’ with a small screwdriver or similar tool.
COLD TAIL AND END JOINT INSTALLATION
When installing the heating cable you need to be careful with how you install the end joint and IT MUST NOT BE CUT ALONG ITS LENGTH as this will cause it to become
cold tail joint (the join between the supply lead and the heating cable). They can potentially unravelled. It should then be twisted back together and connected to the
overheat if the following steps are not taken. incoming earth on the power supply.

The joints on the heating cables are a much larger diameter than the heating element, you will
need to cut a small channel for them to sit into the subfloor or the insulation boards.

Once they have been secured in the channel it is important that you do NOT cover them with tape
as this will create an air pocket preventing the joint from releasing the heat, this can lead to a
potential failure in the future STEP 10

Position the sensor in the black conduit supplied from the thermostat
position down in between two runs of cable (not overlapping the heating
cable) and tape into position. If using insulation boards, these can be cut to
allow the conduit to be placed inside. If installing directly onto plywood then
a groove can be cut using a sharp chisel (beware of pipes). The joint between
the heating cable and the cold tail can also be placed inside a groove in the
floor as this can be bulky and difficult to tile over. The sensor wire can be
shortened or lengthened. If you need to cut the sensor wire you must only cut
The cold tail joint can be secured in place The end joint can be secured in place by
the end with the exposed wires.
by taping the cable either side of the joint, a taping the red heating element just before
small piece on the heating cable and a small the joint to help secure it in place. This will
DO NOT cut the end which contains the plastic sensor. The connections to the
piece on the cold tail. This will ensure the joint ensure the joint is NOT covered with tape.
thermostat can now be made.
is NOT covered with tape. Both these heating joints MUST now be fully
encapsulated within levelling compound and/
or tile adhesive.

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STEP 11 Do’s and Dont’s for Installation

Test the heating cable as before. ✓ D
 o read through these instructions ✕ D
 on’t attempt to cut the heating cable
carefully before beginning work. at any point.

✓ Do use flexible adhesives and grouts. ✕ D

 on’t allow the cables to cross or
touch.
✓ Do test the cable before tiling.
✕ D
 on’t allow excessive foot traffic over
STEP 12 ✓ D
 o be careful not to damage or dislodge
the wire before tiling.
the cable during tiling.
✕ Don’t cut tiles over the heating cable.
If possible cover the cables with a thin layer of suitable latex based levelling ✓ D
 o ensure the cable is spaced no closer
compound (5-6mm). than 50mm between loops. ✕ D
 on’t place tools or stacks of tiles on
top of cable.
✓ D
 o wait at least 7 days before turning on
This will help protect the cables when tiling. You may tile directly over the
the system. ✕ D
 on’t place any product over the floor
cables, however extra care must be taken not to dislodge the cables or to
covering that has a higher tog value
damage the cable in anyway. ✓ D
 o read the separate installation and
than 2.5.
operating instructions for the thermostat.
If you are using a vinyl floor covering, then a minimum 10mm self-smoothing compound ✕ D
 on’t place any bean bags or fixed
✓ D
 o ensure the joint between the cold tails
should be used to cover the cable. CONSULT VINYL FLOOR INSTALLER BEFORE USING THE furniture over the floor covering.
and heating cable is beneath the tiles.
COMPOUND TO CHECK COMPATABILITY.
✕ D
 on’t place cable closer than 100mm
near any pipes.
If carpet is to be used as the finished floor covering then a 10mm self smoothing compound
needs to be used in conjunction with a suitable low tog underlay and subfloor. ✕ D
 on’t turn on the heating mat/cable
while it is rolled up or still on the drum.
You can now lay your flooring according to your floor manufacturer’s instructions. Please refer
to adhesive manufacturer’s guidelines for drying times before turning on your heating system,
this is usually around 7 days, the floor temperature should be increased gradually by 1-2 degrees
per day over a 2 week period to reduce the risk of force drying. If in any doubt please check with
adhesive/latex manufacturers for advice. IMPORTANT
Please ensure that the cold tail joint (the join between the heating cable and flexible
supply lead) is fully encapsulated in adhesive or levelling compound underneath the
floor covering.
STEP 13
Please ensure that the end joint (the join at the end of the cable which is black) is
also fully encapsulated in tile adhesive or levelling compound underneath the floor
Tile the floor using a flexible tile adhesive and grout as per industry standards
covering.
and manufacturers conditions. Finally wait at least 1 week before turning on
to allow time to dry. NOTE the heating may be slow to react at first, especially
Both the cold tail joint and end joint MUST NOT be covered with tape, this can cause
if installed on a new screed floor or in a new building. Start by setting the floor
the cable to overheat and eventually fail!
temperature at approx 18°C - and build up by 1°C per day until your desired
temperature is reached. Please see separate instructions for connection and
DO NOT BEND THE COLD TAIL JOINT AT ANY POINT.
operation of digital thermostat.

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Full lifetime Fastwarm™ floor heating

cables come with a full

warranty.
lifetime warranty.
The warranty does not cover installations
made by unauthorized persons or faults
caused by incorrect design by others / misuse /
Now there’s something damage caused by others / damage in transit /
incorrect installation and any other subsequent
we can all get down to. damage that may occur. Replacement will be
fully chargeable if the damage is because of
any of the above reasons.

Please visit website for full terms & conditions.

www.fastwarm.com

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Safety
Guidelines
IMPORTANT
This installation manual has been designed for your safety. MATTRESSES
For a successful installation please make sure you have
understood the guidelines and adhered to all the instructions.

BEAN BAGS
Flat bottomed furniture MUST NOT BE placed over areas where
the heating mat/cable is installed as this can restrict airflow to
the floor, causing thermal blocking, and in extreme cases may
ANIMAL BEDS
lead to the cable overheating causing a possible fire hazard.
This also includes rugs, bean bags, or any item which has a tog
value greater than 2.5.
THICK RUGS
The supplied Commissioning Record MUST BE completed,
including a floor plan sketch, to indicate heated areas, which
must be permanently fixed in or near the distribution/fuse FLAT BASED FURNITURE
board as required by the 18th Edition BS7671 amendment 3.

CON TA CT US

0800 023 4203 www.fastwarm.com