UFH Mat Damaged During Installation

[Unregistered]

Hi,

I am having my new bathroom installed and have had UFH fitted under my floor tiles. My bathroom fitters electrician came today to connect up my themostat and left without testing the system.

I turned on the system last night (tiles have been down 7 days) to test and as soon as the thermostat is switched to an 'on' setting, ie when it attempts to heat the mat the fuse is tripped on the main consumer unit. The RCD does not trip.

The electrician is returning today to investigate. Assuming he has wired it correctly, the system will stay on as long as it is not trying to heat the mat, i am fearing the worst and that the mat has been damaged during installation.

I assume this will result in lifting the floor and relaying the mat and tiles and as this is a wet room presumably some re-tanking would also be required.

Before i express my displeasure at my bathroom fitter would you reasonably expect him to bare the cost of this work?

Any advice would be appreciated

Simon.

 

[Ajax123]

If it has been damaged as a result of work during instllation or is faulty it is up to the person with whom you had the contract to fit it to put it right. It is often a matter for negotiation as to who actually pays but if you can demonstrate that it is his fault then yes it would be reasonable to expect him to bare the cost.

 

[jwatson]

It may be a fault with connection, loose earth wire ect, but You will end up lifting the tiles regardless, you have turned the u.f.h on too quick!

 

[Unregistered]

Thanks for the replies.
Why have i turned the UFH on too quick?
I was only trying to make sure it was working, and would only have been on for 5 mins. I understand that if i run it before the self levelling compound or adhesive has cured i could cause problems with my tiles, but how could i have damaged the mat?
Thanks
Simon

 

[Gazzer]

sounds more of a connection issue to me, the floor should be fine and the electricain will be able to test the mat easily enough.

 

[Unregistered]

Just to update.....

Tested myself over the weekend as fitter nor his electrician have graced me with their presence yet.

using my multimeter i get continuity between the live tail from the mat and the top of one of the screws that fix my toilet pan to the floor and the same with the earth tail.

I think its fairly conclusive that the bathroom fitter has screwed through the cable whilst fitting the pan causing the fault.

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Although there is no news from 6 days ago and I hope you have had the error sorted, I find it difficult to understand how a qualified electrician could connect up the thermostat control and not switch it on to test!
The digital control (if it's not just an on/off type) would normally show a fault reading and if the wc. screw is live then sitting could be uncomfortable.
Definitely do not use until tested, make sure all the paperwork has been stage signed, get the electrician to complete the guarantee and send it off for your warranty - anything less and you could have wasted your money.

 

[paul flight]

the mat should never have been installed under the pan. the tiles can be remove and a repair made to the wires if you can find someone near you who knows what there doing. sounds like your electrican does not. if he is the one who laid the mat down and did not test it after fitting the stat.

 

[bugs183]

This may not be a disaster, so hold fast here.
If the screw in the pan is registering as live then it stands a good chance this is the only point where the fault is, so careful testing and removal of this tile alone should solve your problem, these mats can be fixed, i'm having one fixed next week. Try this fella, he tests the mats and can pinpoint the fault for you. Steve Ashby 07989382219.
As for who will pay for the repair, it should really be whoever fitted the mat as they should have known there was going to be a toilet there.

 

[bugs183]

This should fixable without too much hassle.
It stands a good chance that the screw iIS the source of the problem, the pan and the tile can be removed, and the the mat fixed, its very unlikely to have another fault. Try this fella Steve Ashby, 07989382218.
Then it's down to whoever put the mat down under the pan to pay the cost.