AHT Technical Brochure for Indoor Underfloor Heating

Table of Contents
Introduction Product description Planning Installation Testing Troubleshooting Accessories Appendixes o AHT safety statement o Radiant heating technical notes o Repair Manual o Products technical information o A comparison between radiant heating technologies o Q&A

Introduction
As a heating professional, you or your clients may have questions regarding the components, installation, or performance of the AHT underfloor heating system. This technical brochure provides the information you need to respond to your customers and field technicians questions and concerns.

Comfortable and Safe

AHTs underfloor heating system radiates a comfortable, even warmth, that is clean, efficient, and non-pollutant, in line with AHTs commitment to provide environmentally friendly products. The heat level is maintained quietly and safely without any noisy fans or blowers.

The AHT Advantage

AHT underfloor heating systems are based on a unique and patented amorphous metal ribbon heating technology. This technology is extremely efficient and poses no risk of any damage to the floor surface, unlike other systems operating at extremely high temperatures. AHT heating mats: Provide safe, comfortable heating for any room, or the entire home. Are easily installed directly under all types of floors, eliminating costly sub-floor construction. Provide warmth faster and more evenly than any other underfloor heating system. Provide the perfect solution for all residential, commercial, or office renovationsold or new! Are backed by a 15-year warranty.

The Advantages of Radiant Heat

Studies by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) indicate that with radiant heat systems, people are usually comfortable at temperatures that are 3.6F to 7.2F (2C to 4C) lower than with convective systems. Forced-air and baseboard heat systems (whether electric or hot-water) are convective systems since they use air as the primary heat-transfer medium. Convective Heat Systems Typically, in convective heat systems, the heating outlets or baseboards are placed on outside walls, and the system is designed to fill the area with warm air until the preset temperature on the thermostat is reached. The warm air rises to the ceiling, cools several degrees, and falls back to the floor, filling the convective vacuum created by a baseboard heater. Air stratification (warm layer over cold layer), and heat loss to the ceiling, are significant with convective heat. Radiant Heat Systems With radiant heat systems, air is immaterial to the transfer of the heat energy, which occurs directly from warmer to cooler objects. Generally, the air temperature varies only about 1.8F to 3.6F (1C to 2C) between the ceiling and floor, with the floor being warmer than the air. Therefore, radiant floor heating results in reverse stratification (cool layer over warm layer). Humidification is unnecessary with a radiant heat system, since radiant heat does not alter the residential air moisture content. Residential humidity is generally adequate if the air isn't dried out by combustion or significant infiltration of cold, dry, outside air. Glass, particularly low-e glass, reflects the long-wave radiance produced by residential radiant systems. This greenhouse effect serves to contain radiant heat energy within the building cavity, reducing heat loss. Air infiltration heat loss is also reduced with radiant heat. Air infiltration (and exfiltration) increase as the difference between inside and outside air temperature increases. When hot air from a furnace or baseboard heater flows against cold exterior walls, the increased temperature differential results in a stack affect (like a smoke stack) that reduces air pressure inside the house. Hot air exfiltrates through any ceiling/roof cracks and the stack effect draws cold air into the house through any wall/floor cracks. With radiant systems, the air is never warmed higher than the thermostat setting (which is usually lower than in convective heat systems), so the temperature differential

is less, reducing the stack effect and its attendant air infiltration and exfiltration. For a radiant heat system (as opposed to a convective heat system), design analysis often includes a reduction in thermostat setting from 69.8F to 64.4F (21C to 18C), and a 10% to 25% reduction in building air infiltration, exfiltration, stratification, and glass heat loss. A radiant heat system with an average 69.8F (21C) thermostat setting with 64.4F (18C) day/night setback should reduce building heat load by 25% to 35% over a convective heat system.

Radiant Heat An intelligent alternative for commercial areas

Radiant heating offers tremendous benefits in commercial and industrial areaincluding energy savings of 25-40% over conventional heating systems. Because radiant heat warms the occupants rather than the space, it's a natural solution for large structures with high ceilings. In fact, the more difficult the heating situation, the greater the savings are with radiant underfloor heating. Consider these advantages:
Heat is down on the work floor, not up by the ceiling of a warehouse or

factory.
Heat stored in a concrete floor can protect perishable products in the event

of a power failure.
Constant temperatures help to keep precision equipment calibrated. When overhead doors are opened, a comfortable temperature is re-

established quickly. Radiant heat is quiet and clean, without noisy fans blowing dust around the workplace.

Cost Effectiveness
The following provides an estimate for the cost effectiveness of AHT's radiant heat system. The estimate is for a room that is 96 square meter, with a temperature of 22C. The floor covering is 14mm parquet and 12mm granite porcelain. Since 95% of US residences are constructed using light-weight building envelope technologies, the energy performance of wood-framed walls is used as a performance comparison base. A wide range of the traditional wood framed wall assemblies is considered, with R-values from 0.4 to 6.9 Km/W (2.3 to 39.0 hft F/Btu). The following table displays the electric power usage (in kW per square foot) of AHT's radiant heat system during 24 hours of heating at various outdoor Km 2 temperatures, calculated as R = 2.86 . W Outdoor temperature (C) 10 0 -5 -10 -20 -25 Electric power usage (kW per square foot) 0.0135 0.025 0.031 0.036 0.048 0.053

Product Description
AHT heating mats are made of flat amorphous metal ribbons (the active heating element) integrated into a fiberglass net that adds structure and definition to the heating mat. (Heating mats can also be supplied without the fiberglass net, if required by the customer.) The ribbons cover approximately 30% of the area of the heating mat. This design enables the heating mat to provide extremely even heat at low working temperatures. Attached to the mat are two cold wire leads measuring 12 feet. (Longer cold leads can be supplied upon customer request.) AHT heating mats are available in several convenient sizes. Effective room heating requires approximately 80% of the floor area to be covered. AHT offers mats in a variety of sizes, which enable you to cover virtually any area. Choose the combination of heating mats which best fit the size of the room you wish to heat. To help plan the layout of your heating mats, go to www.aht-heating.com, and click the layout planning link.

Standard Sizes and Electrical Values

AHT heating mats are manufactured in four standard families:

12 watts per square foot (110-120 Volts) 100 watts per square meter (220-240 Volts) 120 watts per square meter (220-240 Volts) 150 watts per square meter (220-240 Volts)

A line frequency of either 50 or 60 Hz provides the same results. If possible, use 230V instead of 110V power supply, since 230V supports twice as much area on any given electrical circuit. Note: AHT manufactures different size mats with different power outputs upon request. UL and IEC standards allow for manufacturing tolerance of -10% to +5% of the nominal power value. The IEC standard allows -10% to +10% for low power units (200 watts or less per square meter). Since the heating mats are composed of a discrete number of heating ribbon strips, the nominal power rating of each type of heating mat is somewhat different from the basic standard family value, as noted in the following tables. 110 - 120 Volts, 12 watts per square foot family: Width 30 in Length 4ft SQM NominalWatts/ Nominal Total Nominal m2 power (w) current (Amp)

30 in 30 in 30 in

6ft 8ft 10ft

Note: Power is calculated based on an average 115 Volts 220-240 Volts, 100 watts per square meter family: Width 30 in 30 in 30 in 30 in Length 4ft 6ft 8ft 10ft SQM NominalWatts/ Nominal Total Nominal m2 power (w) current (Amp)

220-240 Volts, 120 watts per square meter family: Width 30 in 30 in 30 in 30 in Length 4ft 6ft 8ft 10ft SQM NominalWatts/ Nominal Total Nominal m2 power (w) current (Amp)

220-240 Volts, 150 watts per square meter family: Width 30 in 30 in 30 in 30 in Length 4ft 6ft 8ft 10ft SQM NominalWatts/ Nominal Total Nominal m2 power (w) current (Amp)

Performance
You can use the AHT heating system as your primary heat source, or as a supplementary (added comfort) heat source. If it is your primary heat source, then the performance of the heating system is a function of the heat supply capability minus the heat loss through ceiling, walls, windows, floor, etc. Heat loss is a function of the outside temperature, the quality of house insulation, and household behavior. If there is any doubt about these factors, have an expert perform a heat loss calculation.

Cost Considerations
Installation costs for AHT mats are lower than all other underfloor heating alternatives due to their thin profile, which allows you to install the mats directly under all types of floor covering. No sub-floor construction is needed. When estimating operating costs, take into account the local electricity rates, including off-peak rates, if available. Measure the total heated area, multiply it by the specific input power of the heating system (for example, 120W per square meter), and then estimate the expected duty cycle (% time the heating elements are turned on). In houses with typical heat loss parameters, you can expect a duty cycle of about 25%.

Accessories

Control Thermostats You can use various types of thermostats - manual, digital, fully programmable - even wireless! Control thermostats allow each room to be temperature-controlled to a preset or desired temperature. Control Thermostats come equipped with three types of temperature sensors:

Air temperature sensor usually embedded in the thermostat itself. This sensor controls the room temperature for primary heating systems. Floor temperature sensor installed under the floor covering, preferably in a conduit, and connects to the thermostat through special wiring supplied with the thermostat. This sensor controls the floor temperature when the system is used as a supplementary (added comfort) heating system. Floor temperature safety sensor installed under materials that have a maximum safe temperature (wood/vinyl/linoleum, for example). This sensor acts as a cut-off mechanism to keep the floor temperature within the prescribed limit.

The table below summarizes AHT underfloor heating system control thermostat sensor requirements: Flooring type Under concrete/tiles Under wood/vinyl/linoleum Primary heating Air temperature sensor Air temperature sensor and floor temperature safety sensor Comfort heating Floor temperature sensor Floor temperature sensor

Grounding Nets If you are installing the heating mats under tiles in wet places, such as bathrooms, saunas, etc, IEC and UL standards require that you install grounding nets on top of the heating mats. AHT supplies the required grounding nets in the following sizes:
0.5 x 1.0 m 0.5 x 2.0 m 0.5 x 3.0 m.

A 4 meter (12 foot) cold lead (electrical wire) is attached to the grounding nets.

Repair Kit AHT supplies repair kits, if the heating mats were damaged during installation. For repair details, refer to the Repair section.

Installing Your AHT Heating Mats

Effective room heating requires approximately 80% of the floor area to be covered. AHT offers mats in a variety of sizes, which enable you to cover virtually any area. You should plan to use the larger heating mats as much as possible, and use smaller mats only as gap fillers. Follow the installation procedures described in the Installation Guide. The following are examples of installations under various flooring types.
Under timber/parquet flooring 1. Wood flooring material . Heating mat . Insulation material . Floor slab Under ceramics tiles in dry surroundings 1. Ceramic tile 2. Grout 3. Heating mat 4. Grout 5. Floor slab Under ceramics tiles in wet surroundings 1. Ceramic tile 2. Grout 3. Grounding net 4. Heating mat 5. Grout 6. Floor slab

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Repairing Your Heating Mats

The following provides step-by-step instructions for repairing a short-circuited heating ribbon. This type of repair should only be performed by a qualified underfloor heating technician.

Step 1 Identify the location of the short-circuited

Identify the faulty heating mat by measuring the resistance through its connections in the electrical connection box. Locate the physical location of the faulty mat in the recorded installation floor plan. Verify the approximate location of the short-circuit using a standard tool for underfloor short-circuit identification, for example, Advanced Wire Tracker models AT-2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004 from Amprobe Instruments. Remove the floor covering to expose the faulty mat and locate the exact location of the short-circuit.

Step 2 Prepare for the repair

Have the following available: o o o Your AHT repair kit A hand crimping tool (Tyco Electronics AMP TermiFoil, model 68026) A heat gun or hair blower.

Cut the faulty area leaving a gap of about 50 mm between the ends of the ribbon.

Step 3 Repairing the Fault

Using the crimping tool, crimp the connectors from the AHT repair kit to the severed ribbon ends.

Slide the heat shrink tubes over the crimp connections.

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Starting from the wire end (narrow end) of the heat shrink tube, and moving towards the ribbon side, use the heat gun or hair blower to shrink the tubes.

Squeeze the heat shrink tube over the ribbon with your hands. Make sure that glue comes out of the end of the tube to ensure that the repaired area is moisture resistant.

Step 4 Testing the Repair Test the repaired heating mats resistance to verify that it is within the specified tolerances.

Troubleshooting
AHT heating mats are designed to be maintenance free. Failures may occur as a result of damage to the heating elements during installation. The following table provides a list of possible problems you may encounter. For each problem, possible causes and solutions are provided. Problem
No heat in the entire room/floor

Possible Cause
Main circuit breaker is off

Remedy / Action
Reset the main circuit breaker. If the breaker cannot be reset, verify that it can handle the heating system load. Reset the GFCI. If the GFCI cannot be reset, there is a fault with one of the mats. Use a Megger to identify the faulty mat, Disconnect it and consult your AHT representative. Check that the thermostat settings (on/off position, temperature setting, and clock setting) are correct. If all the settings are correct, replace the thermostat. Check the heating mat connections in the electrical connection box. Tighten any loose connections. Check the electrical resistance between the cold leads. If there is a short-circuit, follow the Repair Manual instructions.

GFCI tripped

Faulty thermostat

No heat in part of the room/floor

A heating mat is disconnected

A heating mat has shortcircuited

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Overheating in the entire room/floor

Thermostat setting is too high Faulty thermostat

Set the thermostat to a comfortable level. Replace the thermostat. Make sure you are using the correct line voltage. Rewire if necessary. Avoid placing floor level furniture (futons and mattresses, for example) on the floor. Set thermostat to a higher temperature. Avoid placing floor level furniture (futons and mattresses, for example) above the floor sensor. Raise the floor sensor setting.

Overheating in a part of the room/floor

Wrong power line supply (230 V instead of 110 V, 380 V instead of 230 V) Thermal blocking

Room not warm enough

Thermostat setting is too low Floor sensor is under thermal blocking

Floor sensor setting is incorrect Improper insulation under the heating mat Initial heat loss calculations were wrong

Requires system upgrade.

Requires system upgrade.

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AHT Safety Standards

AHT heating mats are designed and manufactured to the highest safety standards. They are class II, double insulation products that meet the following certification standards:

IEC 60335-1 (general requirements for household electrical appliances) IEC 60335-2-96 (particular requirements for flexible sheet heating elements used for room heating) BS 6351-1 BS 7430:1998

Each AHT heating mat has a CE mark (Conformite Europeene), an N mark (Nemko - Norway), and the British Standards Institutes Kitemark for safety certification. Note that IEC 60335-2-9, paragraph 7.12.1, states that heating units are to be supplied through a residual current device (RCD) having a rated residual operating current not exceeding 30mA. The RCD you use should have a 30 mA maximum tripping current and a response time of 0.2 seconds, and meet one of the following certification standards:

BS 4293 BS EN 61008 BS EN 61009 BS EN 60947-2

Before and after installation, use a Megger to measure the resistance of each heating mat and record these measurements on the warranty card along with each mats location on the floor.

Testing and Quality

Certifications The following three independent certification authorities tested and approved the use of AHT heating mats:
UL in the USA for meeting the requirements of UL 1693. Nemko in Europe for meeting the requirements of EN IEC 603351 and EN IEC 60335-2-96. Ukraine Government of Meteorology and Standards in the Ukraine for meeting the requirements of D CTY 3135.0-95.

Testing during production Each heating mat is tested in the factory for proper output power, as well as for the proper insulation conformity (ability to withstand 2,500V).

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Testing after installation To ensure that the heating mats are not damaged during installation, test the mats before laying down the floor covering, and retest them immediately after laying down the floor covering. For details, refer to the Installation Guide.

Electric Shock Protection

In general, electrical shock from flexible sheet heating elements can occur only if a metallic object, such as a nail, is poked through the heating elements metallic ribbon. This is why all applicable standards require the use of an RCD or GFCI in the electrical circuitry. Some heating wire manufacturers include a metallic shield around their heating elements. Such a shield is for mechanical strength only; it does not guard against electric shock. The AHT flat ribbon construction has an inherent mechanical strength that makes a metallic shield unnecessary.

Magnetic Field Strength

Some customers have asked about the magnetic field generated by AHT heating mats. The magnetic field strength generated by the AHT heating mats is extremely low. At a distance of 1 cm from the heating element, it is less than a third of the Earths magnetic field strength. Magnetic field strength at greater distances is totally negligible.

Safety Summation
Since each individual AHT heating mat undergoes stringent production line testing according to the certification standards noted above, if installed correctly, you can be sure that the mats are perfectly safe, and will provide you with warmth and comfort for many years to come.

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Comparing Radiant Heating Technologies

Heating

Water Based
Covered area Uniformity of heating Working temperature Floor covering: Tiles Timber excellent Only with protection layer poor High cost High 5%-10% poor Medium (50-60C)

Heating Cables
1%-3% poor Medium (50-60C)

AHT Heating Ribbons

30%-50% excellent Low (30-40C)

excellent Only with protection layer excellent Poor (as standalone cable) Medium

excellent excellent

Maintenance Ease/cost of installation Price

excellent excellent Medium (-)

Energy consumption

Medium

Medium

Low Medium w

Safety

excellent

excellent

excellent

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AHT Amorphous Ribbons FAQs

What is an amorphous solid? An amorphous solid has the un-ordered internal structure of a liquid. In contrast to an amorphous solid, a crystalline solid possesses an ordered, periodic internal structure forming a latticework. Usually, if you cool a liquid it solidifies into a crystalline structure. However, if cooling is very rapid then the liquid solidifies without forming any crystalline structure. This is true for liquid (melted) multi-component metallic alloys (alloys which include two or more kinds of atoms).

What is an amorphous metallic alloy ribbon? Amorphous metallic alloys, often referred to as metallic glasses, are relatively new materials, mainly available in the form of thin ribbons. They are prepared from molten metallic alloys by a rapid cooling technique. In this technique a ribbon of molten metallic alloy is poured onto a rapidly rotating copper drum. Due to the thinness of the ribbon (20 to 30 microns), it cools very quickly (at a rate of about a million degrees per second). Since solidification occurs in so quickly, no crystalline structure has any chance of forming. Instead, an amorphous solid, in the form of a very thin ribbon, is created (the width varies from a few millimeters to 20 cm). This is an amorphous ribbon.

Whats special about amorphous ribbons? Obviously, the lack of any crystalline structure in amorphous ribbons is special. However, other properties of the material are affected by this lack of crystalline structures. The boundaries between crystals in crystalline solids typically cause most of the materials faults. The homogeneous, non-boundary structure of amorphous metallic alloys provides unique mechanical, anti-corrosion, wear resistant, and magnetic properties This makes amorphous metallic alloys superior in many ways to the more common crystalline metals.

Why is AHT amorphous ribbon an excellent heating element for moderate temperature heaters? Due to the absence of crystalline structure, amorphous ribbons have higher electrical resistance than crystalline solids of the same composition. Together with the physical form of the ribbon, which provides a low mass to surface area ratio, it makes the ribbon a very

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attractive candidate as a heating element. Why? The explanation is very simple: energy transfer from any heating element is proportional to its surface area and the temperature difference between the heater and its environment. The larger the surface area, the lower the temperature difference needed to transfer energy from the heater to its environment. Since the surface area of the ribbon is relatively large (compare it with the surface area of a conventional wire used in many heaters) it is able to efficiently transfer heat to its environment at lower temperatures. In a domestic heating environment, lower temperature means a healthier environment, and greater safety.

Whats unique about AHT amorphous ribbons? All other producers of amorphous ribbons are targeting electromagnetic applications using the ribbon as soft magnetic material for various electronic components. AHT is the only company using amorphous ribbons for heating applications (US Patent 5,641,421). The AHT ribbons are more reliable, with higher electrical and corrosion resistance. Their main characteristics are: Thickness Width Corrosion resistance Ductility and flexibility Heat transfer area Warm-up time to steady state 20-30 m 2-100 mm high (nickel and chrome based) high high low

Comparing the heat transfer efficiency of amorphous ribbon and wire

A test was made using the following parameters: 1. The length of the ribbon/wire was 1 meter. 2. The resistance of both was 1.4 x 10-6 Ohm per meter. 3. The heat transfer coefficient of both was taken as 5.6 Watts/m2 K. 4. The temperature difference between the surface of the ribbon/wire and the ambient air was 100 0C. 5. Cooling conditions were assumed to be free convection.

Wire diameter, mm

Ribbon width, mm

Heat transfer area, m /m*10 Wire

2 -3

Power, Watts

Ribbon

Wire

Ribbon

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0.50 0.60 0.70 0.80 0.90

9.80 14.1 19.2 25.1 32.0

1.57 1.88 2.20 2.50 2.86

19.6 28.20 38.4 50.2 63.6

0.88 1.05 1.23 1.40 1.58

1.96 15.8 21.5 28.15 35.6

The conclusions derived from the above table are as follows: 1. The ribbons larger heat transfer area provides the same heating power at a lower temperature than the wire. Therefore the ribbon is safer to use. 2. The ribbons heat efficiency is significantly superior to the wires heat efficiency. 3. With its lower temperature, the ribbon can be packed in polymer insulation; the wire cannot. Temperature Development As seen in the following graph, the ribbon reaches a comfortable 86F (30C) after 3 minutes; the wire reaches this temperature after 10 minutes, more than 3 times slower!

40 35
A A

30 Temp 25 20 15 10 39 78 117 156 Time (sec) Wire Temp. Ribbon Temp. 195 390 781

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Why are AHT mats of special interest for underfloor heating, de-icing pavements and roads, etc.? Many features of AHT heating mats make them attractive for surface heating: 1. Efficient heat transfer because of the large surface area of the ribbons. 2. Low heating inertia because of the low mass of the ribbon. Especially in a more rapidly fluctuating (on/off) mode, you can expect energy savings due to both low heating inertia and efficient heat transfer. 3. Possibility of using cheaper/less insulating material because of the lower heating temperature used. 4. Very convenient physical shape, allowing fast and easy installation. 5. Higher reliability because of the low heating temperature, high mechanical strength and corrosion resistance properties. Note that AHT heating mats are patented technology (US Patent 5,641,421).

Beit Adar, 7 Giborey Israel St. P.O. B 8566, Industrial area, Netanya South, 42504, Israel. Tel: +972-9-8357533/538 Fax: +972-9-8650287 e-mail: ruben@aht-heating.com

Merrygale 4 Stanley Avenue Minster Sheerness Kent UK ME122EY

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