Low-Profile Cold Lead Termination for Floor Heating
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Solution Overview
Problem
The bulkiness of the joint between heating and cold cable sections in electrical floor heating systems requires significant alteration of the flooring installation, including gouging holes in the subfloor and cutting membranes, to accommodate the joint's height, which disrupts the installation process and affects waterproofing.
Innovation Solution
A cable joint housing made of electrically insulating material with inner and outer insulating channels and openings allows for the installation of joints from above, minimizing the height increase and enabling a low-profile joint that can be integrated with the flooring membrane without subfloor removal, using an insulating wrap for electrical insulation and protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional splicing method is used to join heating cable section and cold cable section, then electrical connection is achieved, but the joint becomes much bulkier and requires gouging holes in subfloor and cutting membranes to accommodate it
Solution Approach 1:
The cable joint is nested within a recess in the subfloor, allowing the joint to be contained within the existing floor structure rather than adding bulk to it. The recess accommodates the joint volume without requiring holes to be gouged through the subfloor, thereby reducing the joint's impact on the overall flooring installation while maintaining electrical connectivity.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of accommodating the joint's volume by adding vertical height (which would require cutting membranes and gouging holes), the solution moves the joint into a horizontal dimension by creating a recess in the subfloor. This dimensional shift allows the joint to be embedded within the floor plane, minimizing disruption to the flooring installation above.
2Reliability
If joint is installed with traditional method, then cable connection is achieved, but floor covering installation is significantly disrupted requiring membrane cutting and sealant application
Solution Approach 1:
The recess is created in the subfloor before the flooring installation begins, and the cable joint is placed within this pre-prepared space. This preliminary action allows the joint to be accommodated without requiring subsequent modifications such as cutting membranes or applying sealants, thereby simplifying the overall flooring installation process while maintaining reliable cable connections.
3Use of energy by moving object
If cold lead is run within wall or structure, then current delivery is achieved, but heat generation in cold lead is minimized, requiring separate routing for hot and cold sections
Solution Approach 1:
The cable joint housing combines the connection of hot and cold cable sections into a single integrated component embedded in the subfloor. This merging eliminates the need for separate routing paths through walls or structures, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining the functional distinction between heat-generating and non-heat-generating sections through proper thermal management in the joint design.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution allows for a streamlined joint installation that minimizes disruption to the flooring installation, maintaining the integrity of the subfloor and membrane, and ensures a watertight seal without the need for extensive subfloor alterations, thus simplifying the installation process and maintaining the system's effectiveness.
Implementation Method 1
a cable joint housing is provided, including a body integrally formed of an electrically insulating material
Implementation Method 2
An insulating wrap can be installed about the housing and can provide an insulative barrier above the first and second joints
Data Source
AI summary
A heating cable assembly includes a joint housing that includes a body formed of an electrically insulating material. The body includes a floor, a pair of outer walls and a pair of inner walls positioned intermediate the pair of outer walls. The walls form an inner insulating channel and a pair of outer insulating channels. A pair of openings is defined above each of the insulating channels, the openings being devoid of material to allow at least a portion of one or more conductors to be installed into the insulating channels from above. One of two hot conductors and one of two cold conductors are connected at a first joint and another hot conductor and another cold conductor are connected at a second joint. The first and second joints are positioned in one of the insulation channels beneath one of the openings with an insulating wrap installed about the housing.