Suntouch Vs Product B

SunTouch® Floor Heating Vs Product B

Product Comparison

 

Heating Wires (The Heart of the System)

SunTouch uses twin, multi-stranded, oxygen-free copper heating elements for redundancy, longevity and to reduce Electro-magnetic Field (EMF) for safety.

Click here to see all abut the Electromagnetic fields (EMF) and how SunTouch is your best choice of safety.

Products using a single heating element, can produce from 150 to 350 times more EMF than SunTouch.
SunTouch uses Aramid to reinforce and add longitudinal strength to their heating wires, in case the wire is pulled during or after installation. Our dual-wire technology also allows us to start the mat at the thermostat and end at any other location in the room.

A single-wire product such as Product B MUST begin & end at the same location to complete the electrical circuit, making the installation more complicated.
Our PEX jacket material has been successfully used in radiant floor heating applications for over 30 years. We also use a fully shielded grounding jacket around our heating elements and it extends up our power lead to the grounding wire in the junction box for the thermostat. This gives SunTouch the highest degree of safety as well as using our power lead without a conduit in remodeling situations, as it is equal to romex wiring.

Heat Output

SunTouch has a heat output of 12 Watts/sq. ft. This allow us to cover up to 150 sq. ft. from one 120 Volt thermostat.
SunTouch at 12 Watts/sq. ft. produces over 40 Btu/Hr/sq. ft. With over 25 years of radiant floor heating experience, we know most room heat losses are around 30 Btu/Hr/sq. ft., and floor warming requires even less heat, so 12 Watts/sq. ft. is more than sufficient in a reasonably well insulated home.

Open Weave Design

The heating elements in a SunTouch mat are woven to the underside of the mat, which we feel is more secure than just attaching with a thread.
Our mat allows itself to be flipped and turned 90 and 180 degrees to fill in virtually any shape and the wire can be easily released and attached to the floor to fit angles or curves.
Our open weave mesh is 85% open, which meets the TCA & ANSI recommendations for 80% thinset contact with the substrate & the tile or stone surface above. This open mesh allows the thinset to more fully bond to the surfaces above & below the heating mat.

SunTouch received a moderate-commercial rating from testing at Tile Council of America (TCA). Moderate-commercial is approved for anything except for vehicular traffic (automobiles, fork trucks, etc.).

Wire Spacing

Wire spacing is typically determined on not exceeding the UL maximum allowable exterior wire temperature for a floor warming application which is 90 degrees C. Since SunTouch uses 12 Watts/sq. ft., we can space our elements further apart and still meet the UL temperature limit.

Wire spacing is not the main issue in laying out a floor. For example, when heating a bathroom floor, the mats should start at the vanity and then go to the wall as the vanity is the critical space to heat one’s toes. The spacing away from the wall can vary from 2” to 8”, depending on the specifics of the layout. Also, the SunTouch dual-wire has twice the heating elements per foot as a single-conductor wire, which results in a lower element temperature and greater longevity.

Loudmouth

Our Loudmouth was the industry leader in monitoring floor warming mats during installation. With our dual-wire design, the mat can be tested the entire time during installation. Single-wire designs can only be tested when the two ends are brought back together at the thermostat. So if a single-wire product is damaged during installation before a monitor can be attached, then the installer doesn’t know where the product has been damaged. Also, our Loudmouth has a test button & green battery indicator light to let the installer know if his battery is working properly.

Warranty

SunTouch warranty 25 Year warranty. 1 - 10 years full, 11 - 25 prorated. Includes cost of taking up existing floor and installing new floor (less cost of flooring materials).

Product B 25 year warranty, prorated from day 1. Covers cost or replacement of mat only. No labor or shipping allowances. If air bubble is under their mat, the warranty is voided.

The Company

SunTouch is owned & operated by Watts Water Technologies, a 125+ year old company with world-wide assets and manufacturing locations. Watts is a manufacturer.

Product B, Made in British Columbia, Canada.

SunTouch manufacturers all our mats in Springfield, MO. SunTouch is a division of Watts Radiant, who has been involved in radiant floor heating for over 25 years.

Our products are proudly MADE IN THE U.S.A

Service

With SunTouch mat, SunTouch WarmWire or SunTouch UnderFloor, you don't need a day, two or sometime few days to get an estimate, 99% of our customer can figure out what the need, SunTouch made to be simple and easy to figure out and use.

We also here to help when you have a question or need an advice. We have the best respond timing most of the time in minutes. We have in stock any size or product for any shape or type of room. With SunTouch your order ship same day you place your order, or you can stop by our store and pick up your warming floor to start your project immediately

Watts - SunTouch

Product B

SunTouch dual, twisted wire construction produces Ultra-low EMF (Electro Magnetic Field) making it one of the safest floor warming product available on the market.	Single-wire construction. Wires like this can produce measurable EMF.
Highest quality wire, multi-strand heating elements made with oxygen-free copper, reinforced with Aramid fibers Insulated with ETFE and jacketed with cross-linked polyethylene.	Single-strand wire, insulated with one layer of PTFE insulation. Ground is stainless steel. No outer protective plastic jacket on cable.
Power Lead Wire Color conforms to North Electrical Code standard with familiar white/black/green for 120VAC and blue/black/green 240VAC.	Must bring two cables together to create a three-wire lead. Wires are not color-coded.
>Electrically-grounded and Armored Power Lead eliminates the need for electrical conduit. Easier installation.	Must run conduit to protect the leads in the wall. Added cost. Added labor.
Only one Power Lead at one end of the mat, making it is much easier to connect to the control.	Power leads are at both ends of the mat, requiring extra work to tie wires back to the junction box.
Installation training video and manual included with each box.	Installation video not included.
Open Weave design allows thin-set to fully bond to both the substrate and flooring material by fully encasing the mat & wire in the thinset.	Blanket-type design does not allow thin-set or self-leveling mortar to flow through the mat.
Open Weave design allows one-step installation with the tile or stone.	Blanket-type design requires two step installation to bond the mat to the substrate and then to bond the tile to the mat. Added cost. Added labor
Non-programmable SunStat Control has large digital display. Connects directly to Relays, for larger systems. Can act as a "Regulator" if no sensor is installed.	Similar to SunTouch, but without the added features.
Programmable SunStat Control has large digital display. Connects directly to Relays for larger systems. Has built-in Usage Monitoring and can act as a "Regulator" if no sensor is installed.	Similar to SunTouch, but without the added features.
Floor-sensing Control has a built-in GFCI, saving time and money on the job site as well as ensuring a safe installation	Similar to SunTouch.
Independently testedby the Tile Council of America using the Robinson-type Floor Tester. Rated for all interior residential and moderate commercial.	No published independent testing could be found
43 Standard Construction Widths and Lengths. Widths: 1, 2, and 3 widths. Lengths: 5 to 80 long.	118 Standard Rectangular Mat sizes w/ Custom mats at a premium price & delivery time
The widest array of Mat Kits in the industry, by far. Nineteen Kits are available from 10 to 150 sq. ft. Kits include mat(s), Control, Loudmouth, Installation DVD, Installation Manual, and Double-sided Tape.	Product B has just two, small mat kits.
Made in Springfield, MO - USA.	Made in British Columbia, Canada.
25 Year warranty. 1 -10 years full, 11 - 25 prorated.	25 year warranty, prorated from day 1. Covers cost or replacement of mat only. No labor or shipping allowances. If air bubble is under their mat, the warranty is voided.
One-day installation. Install the mat over dry plywood, backer board or concrete then thinset over mat while installing tile or stone flooring.	Typically 2-day or longer 1-day installation. Must thinset beneath the mat, press mat into wet thinset, then install thinset and tile over mat the next day.
If using self-leveling mortar, it pours directly through the mat to bond to the underlying substrate	Self-leveling mortar cannot pour directly through the mat.
All standard mats can be shaped to fit the heated floor area. Design assistance provided at no charge.	Standard, rectangular mats cannot be shaped in the field. Only custom mats can be manufactured to fit areas other than rectangular areas. Design assistance is included w/ a custom mat.
All mat sizes are the same cost /sq. ft. for easier quoting.	Each mat size has a different cost/sq. ft. so the job must be engineered before a price can be figured.
Mats come in both 120 & 240 volts.	Similar to SunTouch.

Try our new improved Flooring / Heating Estimator

Use the Flooring and Floor Heating Calculator below to determine the number of Tiles, Thinset, Grout and SunTouch Heating System amounts required to complete your tiling and heating project.

The Estimator Calculator also has the option of returning the cost to heat your floor with our SunTouch heating mats.

www.suntouch.com

Click here for SunTouch VIDEO Library

SunTouch vs. Product A - SunTouch vs. Product B

SunTouch Floor Heating Mat Links
SunTouch Mats Specifications and installation procedure - UnderFloor Specification - Mats Installation and Spec

SunTouch Floor Heating Spool Links
WarmWire Order Instruction - WarmWire Strap - WarmWire Installation Guidelines

Heating Controls Links
Programmable SunStat Spec - Owner's Manual Programmable SunStat - Owner's Manual Non-Programmable - Non-Programmable SunStat Spec

Misc SunTouch Links
25 Years Warranty - Loudmouth Monitor - EMF - Frequently Asked Questions - Repair Heating Wire - Low price Guarantee Policy