Marlin Warm Floors

1. What is STEP Warmfloor™? How safe is the product?

STEP Warmfloor™ is a strong, flexible, thin plastic heating mat. It is made of an innovative polymer blend that heats when electricity is passed through the material. Unlike other types of radiant floor heating, STEP Warmfloor™ has the unique ability to self-regulate. So by design it cannot overheat. STEP Warmfloor™ operates on low-voltage and is normally connected to a 24-volt transformer, but can also be run by solar or wind-power source. To provide power continuously along its length, a flat bus braid is embedded in the plastic sheet heater along each edge. Our system is energy efficient when continuously energized, allowing the self-regulating nature of the heating elements to control the floor temperature.

Please check out our Data Sheets!

STEP Warmfloor™ is a very safe product and ideally suited for bathrooms and other wet environments. Because it is mainly a polymer it is unaffected by moisture. STEP Warmfloor™ is a low voltage system (24 V). Further the product has met the stringent international ETL listing protocol and conforms to the ANSI/UL-1693 standard.

2. How long has STEP Warmfloor™ been used?

The self-regulating polymer technology was developed in 1981 and first used to provide heated seats for automobiles. Since then the technology has been used in a variety of applications, including the floor covering area. Hundreds of thousands of square feet of STEP Warmfloor™ have been installed globally.

3. What type of floors can STEP Warmfloor™ be used under?

STEP Warmfloor is compatible with any floor covering

* Natural Stone
* Ceramic & Porcelain tiles
* Hardwood & Laminates
* Resilient
* Carpet

Also Keeps Driveways, Walkways, roofs, and gutters free from snow and ice.

4. Can STEP Warmfloor™ heat my whole house?

STEP Warmfloor™ can easily be used as the only heat source. It is used in extreme cold areas such as Alaska, Norway and Ushuaia. Using this heating system eliminates the need for a forced air furnace, which blows dust and particles around. Each room can be individually controlled.

5. Can I use STEP Warmfloor™ to just take the chill of my floor while I heat the room from another source?

Yes, floor warming is a perfect fit for STEP Warmfloor™. Bathroom floors will be pleasantly comfortable on your bare feet in the morning. The system can be used for floor warming in a single room while a different heat source is used to heat the whole house. Remember that other rooms can also benefit from a warm floor - kitchens, foyers, dens, family rooms - really, any room!

6. Can STEP Warmfloor™ be used for renovation?

STEP Warmfloor™ is ideal for renovation and new construction. Because the product is so thin 1.2 mm (3/64") and flexible it can be installed without needing to change the height of molding, door or cabinets. Additionally, each room can be individually controlled.

7. Can STEP Warmfloor™ be installed under an existing floor?

Yes - as long as you have access to the sub-floor. STEP Warmfloor™ can be installed between floor joist without altering your existing floors.

We highly recommend insulation below the elements (Design Note).

8. Can STEP Warmfloor™ be used to heat my addition?

Many residential addition projects become expensive when the size of the forced air furnace has to be increased to handle the heating requirements for an addition. Instead, install the STEP Warmfloor™ system in the addition as the primary heat source and leave the existing furnace alone.

9. Where else in the house can STEP Warmfloor™ be used?

STEP Warmfloor™ is great under sidewalks and driveways to prevent snow and ice build-up. No more shoveling walks or using salt to melt the ice.

STEP Warmfloor™ is ideal for those hard to heat places such as basements, 3 and 4 season sunrooms, and living spaces above garages.

STEP Warmfloor™ can be used as radiant wall heating.

STEP Warmfloor™ can be placed behind mirrors to avoid them to fog-up.

STEP Warmfloor™ can help plants grow in greenhouses.

10. Is it difficult to install STEP Warmfloor™?

STEP Warmfloor™ is very easy to install. It was designed with simplicity and the installer in mind. Cut the elements with scissors to length, connect the wires and secure in position on the floor.

11. How do I estimate the amount of material needed?

There are a few possibilities:

You may also go to the quote page and print it out and fax or e-mail to us.

12. How do I purchase Warm Floor products?

13. What should I do if my installer is not familiar with STEP Warmfloor™?

Please ask your installer to give us a call or give us your installer's name/phone number and we contact him!

Home Office 563-449-0140
John Cell 563-579-1848
Robin Cell 309-269-1978
Fax 563-449-0142
E-mail us at jfchenoweth@mchsi.com

14. Can STEP Warmfloor™ overheat?

Because of its polymer design, STEP Warmfloor™ cannot overheat. As the material gets warmer, less amount of electricity passes through the plastic and therefore less heat is generated. It is as if you had a sensor over the entire floor.

STEP Warmfloor™ is even approved to be used in hospital beds, as it adapts to the temperature generated by the body heat.

15. What does "self-regulating" mean?

All materials expand and contract with temperature. We take full advantage of this basic law of physics to create the "self-regulating" nature of the STEP Warmfloor™ heating element.

When the STEP Warmfloor™ heating element is exposed to a cold temperature, on a molecular level, the conductive particles embedded in the plastic get shoved together. This creates many current paths between the bus braids, the current flows through the semi-conductive plastic, and heat is generated.

When the temperature warms up, on a molecular level, the conductive particles get spread apart. This reduces the amount of current paths between the bus braids, causing the current flow to decrease, and less heat is generated.

This "self-regulating" nature allows our heaters to respond to local conditions at the floor, providing a much more comfortable environment. The heaters will self-regulate up in heat output in front an exterior door that has been opened and closed. The heat output will decrease in locations where sunlight is warming the floor.

16. How does the STEP Warmfloor™ heating element generate heat?

The heating STEP Warmfloor™ heating elements are unique in that they DO NOT use metal heating elements. Our heating element is constructed primarily of a plastic that becomes semi-conductive. It is the electricity passing from bus braid to bus braid through this semi-conductive plastic that generates the heat.

17. How is STEP Warmfloor™ regulated? Can a thermostat be used?

Floor warming in a small room such as a bath or foyer can be turned on and operated without controls by solely using the self-regulating nature of STEP Warmfloor™. If some control is desired, use a lighting dimmer for a magnetic transformer on the 120V or 240V side of the transformer. Make sure that the dimmer is rated for the wattage load of the system.

For Total or Room Heat applications, STEP Warmfloor™ offers a unique digital pulser control unit called the DIGI. This device has both a thermostat with a digital display and set-point controls and an electronic regulator on the 120V or 240V side of the transformer. This allows the customer to add zone controls to individual areas of the residence while still taking advantage of the self-regulating nature of STEP Warmfloor™.

A thermostat is not required with our system, nor is it desirable. Our system is energy efficient when continuously energized, allowing the self-regulating nature of the heating elements to control the floor temperature. An on/off thermostat would interfere with normal operation of our system and could result in a floor that is colder than desired.

18. Is STEP Warmfloor™ a patented technology?

STEP Warmfloor™ was granted it's first US patent in 1999 and has other European and US patents.

19. Has STEP Warmfloor™ won any awards?

STEP Warmfloor™ has won several awards including:

Flooring Magazine Top 10 Products
1996

1st place Most Innovative Product for the New Home Show
1997

Innovation Award Silver Medal at Batimat/Interclima
1997

Editors Top 50 Popular Home Automation
1998

11th International Construction Award
1999

Radiant Panel Assoc. Electric Commercial and Residential Award
2000

1st place for Electric Residential - RPA
2003

1st place for Electric Commercial - RPA
2003

2003 Building Products Top 100 Products Award 2003
1st place for Electric Residential - RPA 2004

20. What are some of the other areas STEP Warmfloor's™ technology has been used?

The technology has been used in a variety of areas:

On Alaskan tug boat decks to prevent ice and snow build-up in -40 degree weather.

In the Antarctic to help delicate electronics working.

By veterinarians to keep animals warm.

In the North Sea to keep living areas on oil platforms (100 feet above the ice cold ocean) warm and comfortable.

21. How rugged is a STEP Warmfloor™ system?

During shipping, handling and installation of the STEP Warmfloor™ system, care must be taken to ensure that the heating elements are not damaged. With that said, our heating elements are a rigged plastic sheet. Once placed on the floor, they can be walked on without fear of damage. Just don't drag equipment or construction supplies over the exposed elements.

With the other electric systems that are on the market, their heaters are fragile thin wires and cables that can be easily damaged. Because of that, extreme care and caution must be taken to ensure that damage does not occur.

22. Are there other radiant floor heating alternatives?

Yes, there are.

One method is to use hot water pipes placed below the floor. The water tubing is connected to a water boiler. The hot water from the boiler is circulating through the tubing to generate the radiant heat. Hydronic systems require maintenance for pumps and valves, are difficult to use for smaller areas and for retrofits in an existing home.

Another alternative is the use of electric cables. These systems are fixed wattage and carry higher voltage (100V - 230V). They require thermostats, sensors and ground fault switches.

23. What are the benefits of STEP Warmfloor™ heating system over forced air heat?

Using STEP Warmfloor™ heating elements eliminates the need for a forced air furnace, which blows dust and particles around. Studies have shown that dust and particles aggravate asthma and other respiratory aliments. Even better each room can be individually controlled.

What temperature does it take for us to feel comfortable? Do you know that if your feet are at warm and your head is at cool, you will feel perfectly comfortable? If you look at forced air heat, we are heating our living space from the ceiling down to the floor because heat rises. This means to get our feet moderately comfortable, the temperature at the ceiling may wind up very high. It takes a significant amount of energy to create and maintain that comfortable temperature at our feet in a forced air system.

With radiant heat, we flop that temperature profile. The entire floor becomes the radiator. The temperature at the floor level is at that comfortable range while the temperature at our head is lower but still at a very comfortable temperature. The heat radiates up from the floor, warming all the objects in the room. Everything in the room will gain a nice, warm, comfortable feel to it. Even your bare feet propped up on the table will be comfortable from the warmed coffee table surface. The amount of energy required to create and maintain this comfortable temperature at our feet is significantly less than compared to forced air.

24. What are the benefits of STEP Warmfloor™ over a hydronic system?

Hydronic systems require maintenance for pumps and valves, are difficult to use for smaller areas and for retrofits in an existing home.

25. What are the benefits of STEP Warmfloor™ over other electric heat system?

These systems carry higher voltage (100V - 230V). They require thermostats, sensors and ground fault switches.

With the other electric systems that are on the market, their heaters are fragile wires and cables that can be easily damaged. Because of that, extreme care and caution must be taken to ensure that damage does not occur.

26. Why do my STEP Warmfloor™ elements not heat up before the finished floor is installed?

Based on the self-regulating nature of our heating elements, the surface temperature of an element will not be warmer than the skin on your hand until it is embedded in some thermal mass and the generated heat can accumulate.

The true test of heater operation before placement of the finished floor is through current measurements of the individual elements. A more simple test is to place a rug or blanket over the elements until the heat can accumulate and be noticeable to the touch. Please note that the normal skin temperature is 86°F and even when generating heat, the elements run cooler than this.