Electrician’s guide – trouble shooting, Beware of using a continuity checker, Electrical fault-finding – WarmlyYours TempZone FLEX (Twin) Conductor 120V or 240V User Manual

Page 16: Locating a break or a short, Checking for breaks, Infinity ohm reading, Checking for electrical short

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15

“Beware of Using a

Continuity Checker!”

Our smaller Heating Rolls have a high Ohm resistance

and some continuity checkers do not send enough

current to get completely through the wire and emit

the noise or light that affirms proper continuity. If your

instrument cannot function on a small Heating Roll,

please use a digital Ohm meter.

Electrical Fault-Finding

Once the system has been turned off and made safe,

have a suitably qualified person:

1. Ensure all wires have been connected as per the

wiring diagrams.

2. Make sure multiple rolls have been wired in parallel

with all leads returning to the thermostat and not

hooked to each other in series.

3. Confirm that control devices are receiving correct

voltage.

Use a well calibrated digital Ohm meter with good

batteries. The Ohm resistance level of each Heating Roll

should be checked and the reading compared with the

resistance that was recorded during installation on the

corresponding UL label(s) (located on the circuit breaker

box) and in the log on Page 17 of this Manual. If your

reading is not within the 15%+/- range from the original

reading, the roll may be damaged in some way. If you get

zero across the core this indicates an open or short circuit

beneath the finished flooring. The electrical contractor

must locate the point of break or short, in coordination

with the Technical Services Department of WarmlyYours.

com.

Locating a Break or a Short

If your installation is complete, all wiring connections

have been verified to be correct, including grounding of

the system, you have checked the sensor wire for proper

Ohms reading, and you suspect the system is still not

working; you need to determine if there is a break or a

short under the floor.

Checking for Breaks

The Ohm resistance of each roll should be measured

across the core wires.

Make sure the probes of the Ohm meter do not touch the

sheath wire. Make sure you do not touch either of the

probe ends with your fingers, or the meter will be reading

your internal body resistance.

Make sure your Ohm meter is set on the proper scale (0-

to- 200 for Heating Rolls, or 0-to-20,000 for the sensor

wire). Your Ohm resistance readings should come within

15% (plus or minus) of the original measurement indicated

by the factory on the UL label.

If your Ohm reading is within 15% of what it should be,

there is no break. However, you still need to check for an

electrical short.

If your Ohm reading is lower (outside the 15% range), but

there is clearly some continuity, check your Ohm meter

and your batteries. If these are good, there is a possibility

that you have several electrical shorts.

Infinity Ohm Reading?

If you have absolutely no reading (= infinity on your

meter), and you are sure you adjusted the setting of the

Ohm meter to the correct reading range (0-to-200 for the

Heating Rolls, or 0-to-20,000 for the sensor wire), then you

have a break (= total cut) in the conductor.

Checking for Electrical Short

In some rare occasions an installation may have suffered

from a high pressure point that broke the insulation between

the core conductor and the multi-stranded sheath. Such an

opening in the insulation layer can create an electrical short,

even though the Ohm reading from the white conductor to

the yellow or red conductor is normal and does not indicate

any circuit break. In these rare occasions a continuity test

will show continuity between the one or both of the core

conductors and the sheath wire.

There should be no continuity (=“ infinite” resistance

reading, not zero) between the conductors and the sheath.

If your instrument reveals continuity between the core

conductor and the sheath, there is a short in the circuit.

Electrician’s Guide – Trouble Shooting

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