# Heated Floor branch cicuit?



## bantar1000 (Jul 7, 2016)

GC ran the wires for an under tile heat system. The Schluter Ditra-Heat. It will pull less than 1 amp with the amount of cable they used. He wants it attached to an existing circuit. When I went to a video for installation, it says a dedicated circuit or an existing branch circuit. I don't HAVE to put it on a dedicated circuit if the manufacturer says the bc is okay. Correct? Thanks!

John


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## Yankee77 (Oct 5, 2020)

With all electrical installs, it has to satisfy both the manufactures listed instructions and the NEC to be code compliant, that’s the point of110.3(B)


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## MHElectric (Oct 14, 2011)

It probably needs a dedicated 240v 20 Amp GFI circuit.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

bantar1000 said:


> GC ran the wires for an under tile heat system. The Schluter Ditra-Heat. It will pull less than 1 amp with the amount of cable they used. He wants it attached to an existing circuit. When I went to a video for installation, it says a dedicated circuit or an existing branch circuit. I don't HAVE to put it on a dedicated circuit if the manufacturer says the bc is okay. Correct? Thanks!
> 
> John


1 amp? Are you sure? That seems low.


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

You do not need a separate circuit


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## bantar1000 (Jul 7, 2016)

Unless I’m reading it wrong, they’re using the 28’ section. Bathroom is tiny. That’s .7 amps correct?


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

99cents said:


> 1 amp? Are you sure? That seems low.


I thought so too but look at page 26, the shortest 240V cables are under 1A. That seems like so little heat, maybe it's not to heat the room just take the chill out of the tiles. Or maybe it's just so contractors can say they installed heated floors. 



https://sccpublic.s3-external-1.amazonaws.com/sys-master/images/h47/h7c/8986876280862/DITRA-HEAT%20Installation%20Handbook.pdf


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

From their installation handbook



> A dedicated circuit is recommended for each application, but a circuit supplying one or more fixed room heaters may be used, as long as its rating does not exceed 30 amperes, that the total current from all branch circuits does not exceed 80% of the circuit breaker limit, and the branch circuit cable reaching the thermostat junction box is of the same conductor size as the main circuit.


That sounds to me like you can put more than one of their heater cables on the same circuit, but it's not clear you could piggyback on any other handy circuit.


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## bantar1000 (Jul 7, 2016)

splatz said:


> That seems like so little heat, maybe it's not to heat the room just take the chill out of the tiles. Or maybe it's just so contractors can say they installed heated floors.


Agreed! One guy I saw installed them said that the only time you really notice them doing anything is when you step off of the bathroom floor. I don't think you're supposed to notice them 'heated' just not cold tile. Seems like too much money syndrome.


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## paulengr (Oct 8, 2017)

120 V x 0.7 A = 84 W. Lots of people heat well houses with a 100 W light bulb or at least they used to when it existed. No reason not to think 0.7 A is tiny. Maybe from a wiring point of view but not heat.


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

It depends on the load whether you can use more than one cable of heat. I have done it before but you have to make sure the T-stat can handle the load.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

splatz said:


> I thought so too but look at page 26, the shortest 240V cables are under 1A. That seems like so little heat, maybe it's not to heat the room just take the chill out of the tiles. Or maybe it's just so contractors can say they installed heated floors.
> 
> 
> 
> https://sccpublic.s3-external-1.amazonaws.com/sys-master/images/h47/h7c/8986876280862/DITRA-HEAT%20Installation%20Handbook.pdf


That’s what this product does, it warms up the floor. That’s still really low amps. It must take forever to reach operating temperature.


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