DITRA-HEAT Heated Flooring Systems Installation (Step-by-Step) -- by Home Repair Tutor

How do you install DITRA-HEAT heated flooring systems? We explain in today's step-by-step tutorial.
For more home improvement tips visit www.homerepair...
Here is the break down of the steps for the DITRA-HEAT installation:
Step 1 = Planning DITRA-HEAT heated flooring systems
Step 2 = Gathering materials
Step 3 = Setting DITRA-HEAT membrane
Step 4 = Heating cable tips before installation
Step 5 = Conductor resistance test
Step 6 = Conductor and ground braid continuity test
Step 7 = Insulation resistance test
Step 8 = Floor temperature sensor test
Step 9 = Heating cable cold splice installation
Step 10 - Heating cable installation in membrane
Step 11 - Thermostat sensor installation
Step 12 - DITRA-HEAT thermostat installation
Step 13 - Fill studs with unmodified thin-set
Links to purchase:
Ditra Heat Trowel -- amzn.to/2SaKwc3
Touchscreen thermostat -- amzn.to/2SeWPEd
108 sqft ditra heat mat -- amzn.to/2P2De8f
43 sqft of wire -- amzn.to/2r6hBdv
83 sqft of wire -- amzn.to/2SaRTQA
21 sqft kit (34 sqft of ditra heat mat) -- amzn.to/2TK6mVf
Schluter All-set -- amzn.to/2r70ngg
Schluter set (unmodified) -- amzn.to/2P3DZOi
Kerdi Trowel -- amzn.to/2DXZr6s
Watch our video for the full DITRA-HEAT installation
• DITRA-HEAT Heated Floo...

[@16hershey135]

Always a pleasure to watch a professional do what he knows ! Thank you.

[@HomeRepairTutor]

Thank you, appreciate the kind words

[@forrestwebb6182]

Great tutorial on installation-I'm going to be putting this down for my basement bathroom floor. A couple things on the electrical make-up at the box: Since this is 240V, the white wire from the Romex cable should be re-identified as hot using black electrical tape. Also, the ground wires should be spliced with the equipment ground back to the panel, and bonded to the box. You can use a pigtail wire to the ground terminal in the box, or leave the ground wire from the Romex long enough to wrap the ground screw, and then pigtail with the rest. This bonds everything to the metal box and piping.

[@ericoxford7069]

Love the tutorial! It was very detailed with nothing extra that wasn't needed. This gives me the confidence to install the Ditra-heat system in my master bathroom when I remodel.

[@palmerstile9379]

Thanks Jeff! Doing 10 of these in one house next month 😳😳😳 gonna be exciting, first time doing it. Customer wants only schluter products, glad I found your video. Hope all is well

[@noidretlaw]

Thanks for the detail! That is pretty slick how the heating wire snaps in...

[@NicoleSmythe-w8o]

always know who's a pro by how they trowel that thinset on lol! Thanks for the great video.

[@lancesheffield3433]

Excellent video guys! Thanks for putting this detailed tutorial together.

[@rugger3buffalo]

Dude. This is such a gift. Thanks for making this video

[@SalDiBlasi]

Ditra heat is a great product, makes installing a heated floor so much easier, good job on the video.

[@HomeRepairTutor]

+Sal DiBlasi thanks buddy, it's a great system.

[@Elperroviejo1]

it is .! bt plywood need to be level . in the bay area houses are so old that we have no choose bt to float then i use this ditra over the float & come out great . if the customers wanna pay , cause it gets pricy haha

[@Sazonman]

Sal DiBlasi he should've clean all of the remaining thin set off the ditra-heat mat like you do it Sal, otherwise he did a good job.

[@kennethlehtinen8822]

Why must it be test?? I mean...isn't it tested at the factory? seems redundant.

[@gextreme2381]

I'm not sure who does nicer work, Sal or you guys!

[@davidhollway]

This is a great tutorial, thanks for producing it. I'm currently in the process of installing Ditra Heat in a hallway and bathroom and this has been very useful in helping me avoid the obvious pitfalls.

[@jlowe1892]

Ok pol

[@justice-jb5ld]

I’m curious, were you hable to do the installation by yourself? The electrical part looks very complicated.

[@bihlover80s33]

Very good tutorials. Here I came again just to let you know that I called Schluter , as you told me so, and yes, just like you said, they were very kind and answered all my questions.

[@HomeRepairTutor]

Awesome, do you feel reassured that your electrical setup is good to go?

[@bihlover80s33]

Home Repair Tutor .... Definitely yes. Even though,they told me their system supports both 120-240

[@HomeRepairTutor]

Your floor will be toasty, just be sure to test everything before, during, and after the installation 👍🏻

[@carolschedler3832]

nice to see how this works. builders are installing this week. 🥳

[@AnthonyFloresCPA]

So great, thank you. Especially al the electrical walk thru. I am about to go install mine now!

[@HomeRepairTutor]

let us know if you have any questions, always happy to help

[@l0ckcr4ck3r]

Great Install tutorial! Will be laying mine tomorrow. My only issue I have with this is the suggestion of wiring 2 heater cables in parallel to a single thermostat! Stop and think this through for 30 seconds. You have a 300 and a 100 ohm cables... current flow will split at the junction into 25/75%.... the shorter cable will heat up much faster than the longer cable. Next where do you put the single sensor? If its in the smaller area with the shorter cable, the larger area will never get up to the set temperature... if the sensor is placed in the larger area.. you run the risk of burning out the shorter cable. I guess Schluter forgot to mention on their FAQ that you can only connect 2 hating cables in parallel IF they are of similar resistance.

[@racpropst]

Excellent video. Between the installation manual and this video, installation is completely explained.

[@HomeRepairTutor]

Thanks Rc

[@toolsiesampat2737]

Beautiful demonstration

[@markperry1241]

Hey Jeff, Love your videos for the simplicity and wisdom. You simplify even the difficult. That said, I'll have to try and give a little constructive criticism of your partner. He tends to get off topic, or over explain some things. I believe it takes away from the simplicity you have become known for. It also makes the videos much longer than needed. Again, taking away a hallmark of yours, short and to the point. I hope this helps as intended, to make your channel even better! Appreciate all your hard work, and advice! Mark

[@HomeRepairTutor]

Thank you Mark, I always appreciate constructive criticism because it makes the videos better - I really appreciate your kindness and feedback 🙏🏼🔥

[@Samlol23_drrich]

Superb video. Thank you so much for all of your expertise.

[@comedefleurieu315]

Great job, great explanation, thx a lot !

[@shawnphillips1220]

Great video. Then you simply tile right on top, correct? Edit....disregard found part 2, lol and watching now!! You rock!

[@charispena1270]

Y’all rock! This video and the Kerdi shower kit installation videos have been a huge help!!!

[@armandosantiago1472]

Wow New channel bro, great job ❤

[@teh60]

Great explanation and installation, answered a lot of questions.

[@joannrice8359]

Clearly explained. Thanks!

[@callrobbie]

Excellent video, thanks so much for making it, and really enjoying the detail of instructions provided, and you answered my query of what to do round the edges where I'm not putting heating, and how to level up the floor between merely tile area and underfloor heating areas, so now have to buy some more matting to go all round the edges...Baffled though about why I need to do a mini dogleg in the wires if over 10 feet? (my new kitchen extension is 12 x 14 ft) I'm not going all the way to the sides, but had planned to do the whole length, so please explain why the little dogleg?

[@justice-jb5ld]

Doesn’t look like a do it yourself project, but enlist now I know what it takes to installed heated floors.

[@khaledacar3814]

Amazing video guys very detailed

[@HomeRepairTutor]

Thank you

[@tomhollins9266]

Excellent explanation and walk through.

[@jakewilliams5746]

Thank you, awesome video! Unimportant for how to install this, but just want to inform that there is definitely a difference between hot and neutral. Your neutral wires are grounded inside the main electrical panel; meaning that there is no potential difference between neutral and ground (basically zero volts on neutral). If you were to switch a neutral wire on a light switch instead of the hot, or hook up something backwards, the device could appear to be off because there is not a complete electrical path but would still have 120V at the device. This could prove very dangerous!

[@marktaylor3630]

Just put some of this in today well put it in yesterday and put the heating element on today 1st time using it it's really easy compared to the other ways oh putting a heated floor down

[@grady1807]

Thanks for posting this, I found it very helpful 😎

[@monicafu214]

Really appreciate 🎉best video ever ❤

[@larryyang6140]

I’m going try to do heating floor ,this video it’s very helpful thanks

[@VictorNolochemical]

Thanks for the tips, great show 👍

[@josellemonarchi3119]

Great tutorial, thanks so much for sharing!

[@seen921]

great work guys. Thanks.

[@markyruss]

What a mission - so many easier systems out there than this

[@HomeRepairTutor]

Which ones do you like? We've used several but always like hearing different perspectives

[@itmember5721]

Hey, markyruss and Home Repair Tutor I'm starting to look at different products from Lowes and Home Depot to install in a 5 X 7 existing bathroom with a ceramic tile floor, any recommendations other than this product?

[@aaat2931]

Thanks for the tutorial What about the wet areas? What happens if the floors keep holding water?

[@kenstenerson5771]

great job guys, thank you,

[@TK-qm8rb]

Dry fit the ditra before u put it down. makes a much cleaner and quicker install.

[@andreysheyfer546]

Looks right. Good job for accurate info.

[@mikimiki195]

Great video 👍🏻 only thing I would modify Thermostat should have been positioned higher so you don’t have to bend down to make adjustments

[@gextreme2381]

Great job guys!

[@bniel798]

Thanks for upload, this is something I've been interested and asked to do

[@HomeRepairTutor]

+bniel798 awesome, hopefully this video helped. It's long but has a lot of details. Plus we worked with Schluter to make sure all the tips were in line with their handbook

[@pawelelektryk2985]

good,informative video.I can tell you tho that nobody is gonna test that tstat monthly :)

[@abtechgroup]

That upside down symbol on the meter for ohms is the Greek letter Omega.... :)

[@PeterSzymanski]

well, it's an Ohm symbol

[@951700983]

Great!!! Job with Ditra Heat, Schluter System

[@stevetreiber9162]

This is a very good video how ever 120 volt is blk / wht , 240 volt is blk / red I say this because a future tech could see this as possible 120 volt thus creating possible danger , so RED taping your neutral white is a good standard practice in the case of 230 - 240 volts

[@gextreme2381]

There is one case in which a white may be used to carry ungrounded potential that is still in conformity with the most recent cycle of the NEC. That is when a cable is used to feed a straight 240V load. Besides that if someone is even a tad bit unsure of what they are doing around electric they should stay away from it and call someone who is. The color of the wire isn't going to save your life.

[@dealsfromvirginia1773]

Very helpful vid. Thanks.

[@ldd2195]

At around 23:00 your electrical guy calls the ohm reading on the meter "zero". When I look at the image, I'm not seeing a zero there but "OL", for "overload". That's what the meter shows if it cannot give a meaningful number. If the number of ohms was zero that'd be a short, and that would be a failed test. You want to see "OL" for that test, which means the resistance is so great that the meter cannot give a number for it.

[@HomeRepairTutor]

Thanks for asking, the main point is the wires passed the test before, during, and after installation

[@FixthisCD]

OL stands for Open Loop, meaning there is no circuit completion of electricity, which is ideal to see. It is like holding the probes in free air. If measuring voltage and you possibly go over a selected range or meters maximum you could get an OL for overload because what you are measuring exceeds the limits. My meter will show O.L versus OL in resistance

[@garutnivore]

In general, OL on a measuring device stands for "overload" which means you are beyond the range of what the device can measure. It may happen to correlate to an open loop, but not necessarily. I have multiple digital meters here (ranging from Flukes to super-cheap devices). Their literature all explain OL as "overload", not "open loop".

[@UrbanPlumbers]

It means open line - not overload on multimeters

[@marceloabila9468]

great job guys

[@angusmac2037]

A great video gents, thanks for posting!

[@HomeRepairTutor]

thank you

[@keithharmon2056]

Great job guys.

[@zagnit]

Thank you!

[@dennisheflin2680]

Excellent video, very well done

[@HomeRepairTutor]

+Dennis Heflin thanks man 👍

[@waynegriffith6022]

Try using Calorique heating matts eliminates so much extra work from using wire solution. Calorique has a tile heat solution that uses a self stick matt that you lay down first then put thin set and tile without doing twice the work for radiant heating. Save on labor and save time with Calorique. Also the matt is 0.0016" thick so its like putting paper down and doesn't raise the floor height which is very important and additional labor savings.

[@jonathanesley]

Really good information 👌👌👌

[@jaandel1]

How much the system cost ?? Great video

[@bdeboefURI]

Great job. Is it possible to waterproof the seams using Kerdi tape on Ditra-heat like you guys did with regular Ditra in another video?

[@lucbegin7334]

Amazingly good 👍

[@djmcnamer]

Sorry to update you on the style floor your doing. It's OSB not plywood. Overall very good video on install.

[@adamwilson2096]

Thank you!!!

[@alexmaclean1]

Can you install a good quality vinyl plank floor on this or does it have to be something solid like a ceramic tile?

[@brilheaint]

most vinyl has a warning on it IF it can NOT be used over in floor heating, check your product

[@yvonrouillard9755]

Tanks for the info

[@paulhousman7156]

Love your video. I have a question concerning the splice going to the thermostat. You chiseled out a space so that the splice would be below or at level. I have a concrete floor and am using ditraheat-tb . Will there be enough room for the splice to sit without having to chisel out the concrete? I am laying tile on top of the ditraheat-tb. Should I be concerned ? Thanks

[@TheTechGuider]

im gonna go on a whim here and say the electrician is steves brother

[@breaktime919]

Seriously

[@mjones_04]

I see that you are using 2 different rolls, would you not have to install a power module to allow both wires to work off of the one thermostat? Great video, Thank you for sharing.

[@allenuic]

that's exactly what I was puzzled with. With this parallel connection, the shorter roll (less ohms) will suck more electric current than the longer roll (higher ohms). This will result in unbalanced floor heating throughout the rooms where the area above the shorter roll feels a lot warmer.

[@lynnkasdorf7258]

Great video! Question - after your thermostat is all wired up, wouldn't you want to actually power it up and see if the heat wires start to get warm? Obviously you wouldn't let them get very hot, but I plan to do that when I install my system.

[@HomeRepairTutor]

you want to test wires three times. Once before installation, once after installation, and finally once after setting tile

[@littlerufe]

Thanks for the great video! Any reason not to use schluter allset? I really like it and would love to hear why you like Mapai better. Thanks!

[@jimlaporta8573]

Jsst an FYI, I never ever ever put thinset right onto OSB. I always lay down at least a 1/4 of AC, BC or the newer sustainable underlayment that Lowe's sells.

[@tombomombodombo]

It's interesting, the warmlyyours inspire thermostat is exactly the same as the schluter one, but at a fraction of the cost!

[@thomasnorthcastle4130]

Lifehacks nothing like it.

[@gextreme2381]

and 3yr vs a 15yr rock solid warranty. I've yet to meet someone that doesn't love their ditra heated floor or one that's failed. sometimes it isn't worth trying to save a buck.

[@corbindenham6656]

Question on bonding the ditra to the subfloor. I had to paint over the subfloor due to a small amount of mold, which I thoroughly cleaned the best I could & used mold barrier paint over that, curious if applying thinset to that would compromise bonding & cause issues? Would it be better to apply a quarter inch sheet of floor overtop for a better bond? Thank you

[@115northcanton3]

Hi, I didnt understand what wire gauge have you used to power up the thermostad 12/2 or 10/2? thanks a lot

[@Construction.renovationsplus]

Love the tutorial. Very clear. But what if the heating cable got accidentally cut, How do you mend it?

[@MulloyDIY]

The heating cable is designed to never be cut and cannot be safely repaired. If cut, the entire cable needs to be replaced.

[@zennloo7343]

Schluter now offers a repair kit

[@seansullivan-i6k]

Great video - what do you do with all the extra cold lead wire?

[@harryemel6094]

So I placed my floor sensors in the matt. I saw you don't have excess cable. Do you cut your sensor cable to length or do you hide it in that wall. I used up my excess sensor wire in the studs of the ditra matt.

[@eagl3ye]

Is it possible to extend a continuous run of this to another room and tie it all into a single circuit and thermostat? I'm renovating my home room by room and would love to have radiant heat throughout the house.

[@gregbinder9042]

As electrician ya should always connect ground, neutral then hot. And disconnect opposite way hot first then neutral then ground. That way you always have a path to ground other then yourself

[@TheOnlyFredo]

If I have a shower area and the main bathroom floor on separate cables. Do I just double up the cable on the thermostat?

[@donlovejoy857]

This was a great tutorial. In the end there was a comment about using an unmodified mortar to fill the cups. I have already purchased a highly modified mortar that I intended to use for setting the mat and the tile. Can you tell me more about the results of immediately tiling after laying the mat with a modified mortar?

[@gissie391]

toilet issue in my flat was cause of plugs they used let water go through, but even before that it was chipboard floor and over use the toilet used to work its way lose every time every flat, it was council flat. eventually toilet went through floor as I sat on it.

[@dlempke715]

Curious as I am installing this today. Looks like you install the cold splice and in your case, splices closer than 8" to the heat register. This is acceptable? Thanks and great video...by far the best I have seen.

[@HomeRepairTutor]

Thank you. Always follow the guidance in Schluter’s most current instructional booklet. That way your warranty will be upheld. Sometimes we’re constrained by real world problems, hence the placement of the splices. What kind of project are you working on?

[@DCUPtoejuice]

What if the wire were run in a groove in cut into plyboard? Would there be an issue with thermal conductivity?

[@quietjohnoutandabout6578]

Thanks for your video. I want to make a back porch into a bathroom with heated flooring.Will the heated flooring help keep the water hoses underneath that is unheated from freezing ?

[@pcpmundo]

Noticed the Electrician mentioned this is a 240v system. Is that a requirement to install this heating system? What is confusing is that he also mentions the thermostat can do both 110 and 240. Does DITRA require 240 or 110v?

[@pcpmundo]

Pardon I meant 120v not 110v. Or does it depend on room size and cable length? Or is because you are using two cables to do this particular room? UGH.. questions..

[@BamDone]

Thank you for the informative video. I am about to install Ditra heated flooring in my bathroom. However, I have 12” wide wood planks for my subfloor. The builder of my home also drilled 2” holes in the subfloor to blow cellulose between the second and first floor. How important that 100% adhesion occur between the mat and the subfloor? Do you recommend laying concrete board down or re-sub-flooring my bathroom? Thank you again!

[@Shad0wC0mpany2]

I have a slat floor and came to the comments section to ask basically the same thing.

[@klodianspahillari9434]

Thanks for sharing this awesome video. I'm just wondering the wire that you'r laying on that membrane, is it coated or not?

[@sureshvelu]

Can you install the DITRA-HEAT in a garage . What is the weight/load capacity for DITRA-HEAT system if I am planning to install in a garage. ?

[@Mcseverythingoutdoors]

Using the system that has capability for vinyl fooor covering, is thinset or leveler required over the mat? Thank you

[@SEANRMZ]

great vid, but your line coming in, if your using 220v the white wire should be red. thanks for the tips. Should be installing mine over the weekend.

[@adelinafranco5888]

Hey Sean we did 220v install but there were no red wires only white and black ones. Is that why we can’t get it to work you think?

[@wetrock2766]

@@adelinafranco5888 The color of the plastic covering the wire has no effect on the electrical system it's just a convention. There are many possibilities why it doesn't work but this is not one of them.

[@jeffw7644]

Thanks for the vid! Looking at doing this to our bathroom next year, so if your a diy’er, are you able to attain a full warranty if you test and record the electric values at the time of installation? Also the vids I’ve seen on your products so far are on total construction, I’m looking at doing it on an existing bathroom with cabinets, tube and shower currently installed, only looking to do the walkways in the room, I’m assuming it’s just as doable as new construction? Thanks.

[@Beaut0721]

I suspect it is an expansion joint for the resistive cable, as it expands (lengthens) when it is running.

[@egformula]

Nice 💯

[@hectorarnau2634]

Hi! Do I need to use diferent testers?

[@windygorge1]

great vid

[@HomeRepairTutor]

+Dewayne M thank you

[@ipv6tf2]

do you need some sort of primer between osb and the modified thinset? worried about moisture loss to osb

[@keithboutwell7132]

We have one that the temperature on the thermostat reads 92°, which is off about 13 degrees from actual floor temperature. Any way to calibrate reading?

[@ozziegb]

Hi guys great video, I was hoping to see what you did where two mats join. Do you seal the joints with a kerdi band strip before tiling like with the usual ditra mat? And is the ditra heat mat on a par with the usual mat for waterproofing?

[@MyFortressConstruction]

It's just for holding the wire and uncoupling the floor. You have to water proof it with kerdi like it was a bare floor.

[@ducatione]

The instructions indicate to make sure the thermostat wire does not come into contact with the heating wire, even in the wall. Am I mistaken?

[@judichristopher4604]

Good Question... Did you ever get an answer?

[@tictacX1]

The 120v heating cable was connected to a 240V supply. Is that going to short or at least heat much faster than the long (240v wire)?

[@gextreme2381]

It Is a 240v cable. The wall control panel accepts 120v or 240v. 120v is fed by one hot leg @120v on L1 and neutral on Ln . 240v has 2 x 120v legs on L1 and Ln. 240v does not have a neutral. This all assumes you are in the USA. 240V does not heat faster, The main reason to use 240v is for more coverage because it can provide more overall wattage (amps x volts = watts). See the Schluter Ditra install guide and it spells it all out.

[@breaktime919]

So was that floor waterproof? What about around the perimeter and where two pieces of kerdi meet