Troubleshooting Heating Cables and Mats

We use the following equipment to locate faults in ECOFLOOR heating cables and mats:

1. The fastest detection method (90% success rate for heating cables with protective braiding): the MMG5 is a high-voltage arcing source. If there is a short circuit between the heating cable’s resistance and its braided shield, or between the resistance and earth, connecting the heating cable to the MMG5 power source and setting the appropriate voltage will cause an electric arc (burning) at the fault location. The burning immediately heats the fault location, and the Ti40FT thermal imager can then very quickly pinpoint the exact spot in the underfloor heating system (1–5 minutes, depending on how deep the heating cables are laid). The burn-through power supply can be replaced with a cheaper high-voltage power supply that has a current limit or a burn-through function (e.g. the SPS Electronic HA3300D tester). A cheaper thermal imager can also be used, such as a Fluke or Flir.
2. If combustion cannot be induced, then (in the event of a fault in the heating cable’s sheath) an MMG5 transmitter is used to send a pulse signal into the heating cable, whilst an ESG 80 receiver is used with probes to locate the point where the intensity of the signal emanating from the fault is strongest.
3. If the heating cable is merely broken (usually the case with single-core heating cables without a protective braid) and no short circuit can be detected between the resistive core and the braid or between the resistive core and earth, we use the Cable Cop 300. The Cable Cop comprises a transmitter, which is connected to the cable and emits a high-voltage signal, and a receiver, which detects the signal strength. Ideally, the signal indicated by the receiver will drop off beyond the fault location. However, this method is not 100 per cent reliable – the signal strength varies considerably depending on how deep the heating cables are laid.