Warmup matt failure help

[Gall.B]

Hello lads & lassies, have a wee problem.

Screeded , decoupled & tiled over said matt being carefull as hell as usual. Spark testted matt before I started everything fine he says. Next day I put first coat of screed down and leave put electic heater in showerformer to help screed dry, come in next morning about 10am to find to joiners working on floor building bulk head tools scattered about etc, point out to them (as they knew anyway) I had my secont coat to do (everything falling slightly towards former) and not all wires are completley covered. Anyhoo Spark tested matt yesterday and its faulty!!!!!!!!!

He contacted Warmup who recomended a fella that comes out detects the fault and fixes for £300 notes and mentions summit about me squaring him up!!!!!
Fair do's if im at fault. But this isnt exactly my first matt I take all precautions ie use a blunt trowel for first coat soft shoes work of a board etc so im very much certain it aint me. guys I normally tile the matts for have it hooked up to something or other that beeps there and then if the matt is damadged and I did ask for this set-up and was ignored! Have another floor to do on this job.

Opinions or advice on this one gratefully recived, Brian.

 

[Stewart]

When i first started doing heat mats, I got caught out quite a few times, by others damaging a mat and had to replace them, as the tiler was always to blame. With what you've described, I would say everyone who worked on the floor is responsible, as it wasn't monitored, but you probably haven't got a cat in hells chance of spitting the cost with the other trades.

All my mats are monitored constantly from start to finish. No ones is allowed to work on that floor until it's tiled and finished. It's in my T&C that anyone working on that floor before the tiling is complete invalidates my responsibility for the mat, as they are easily damaged. This sounds harsh and annoys other trades big time, but in the building game, I trust no one when it comes to accepting responsibility for something that has been damaged. All I can suggest is buying a couple of monitors, they cost around a fiver. Check the mat every morning you turn up and show customer its still working when you leave........ My heat mat supplier does a repair kit for that cost's £15, but you need to know where the fault is to fix it.

 

[Gall.B]

Thanks Stewart, im not on the job constantly and did state explicitily that NOBODY gets on my floor until its done then arrive to find Joiners working on it!!! as you say got the vibe I was annoying the rest of the trades and got the impression they think im over the top and paranoid when im teling how sensitive these things are and the level of prep required, now they are all flapping pointing there elbows at me.

Not been down to the site yet, sparks are gonna fly when I do cause something aint right lot of whispering going on and people sorting there storys out me thinks, cant wait until the guy tests it, propably round about the said bulkhead or a waranty issue.

The monitors is what the guys I normally do them for use and did tell them thats how I want it set up (im only reponsible for the Tiling, tiles and addys on the job)

 

[jay]

Buy yourself a monitor and always use it from start to Finnish

 

[Stef]

Brian we had a problem with a heat mat a few months ago, the tiles had been down for about a year though & it stopped working,
The guy we work for went to speedy/hss? & hired some thingy to go over the floor to pinpoint where the fault was,
The spark hooked the wires of the mat up to a battery to send a low voltage through the mat & it showed up on the machine he had hired.
They got the breakage bang on & one tile got lifted to carry out the repair.
I will try to find out tomorrow what it was they hired.

 

[Discount Tile Supplies]

Sounds feasible to me Rob,

 

[Gall.B]

Thanks Steff would be much appreciated as I did say id stump up if its down to me

Jay the jobs I do there is normally a monitor set-up, but as im not supplying and installing the matt I felt it was down to the electrical company fitting and supplying, I did request one be set-up and it will be in the next room as the client has demanded it.

Im asking the Joiners and spark if they fancy a wager on whats to blame for the failure id say im 90% its not down to me.

 

[jay]

Get yourself one and use it,that way you cover your back,Have seen a few kits that come with the monitor supplied norm the sparkey nicks them

 

[Gall.B]

Just a wee update on this one turns out the Joiner screwed through the Matt

DC Technical Solutions Repairers and Installers of Electric Underfloor Heating these guys located the fault instantly with there fancy gear and expertease, saved 2k worth of floor coming up and won me a few quid in the whodunnit sweep stake :smilewinkgrin:

Jay I know where you are coming from but the electrical company supply and install the matt the should install a monitor too I am not qualified to touch anything electrical on jobs so dont. Client told me to carry on without monitor.

 

[jay]

Fair enough but would still recommend you get one not all customers the same