Heating the floor of your home's elevator: What is the Best Way

[JohnfrWhipple]

Hey Vegas. Question.

Have you ever seen an elevator with a heated floor?

I was working the other day wrapping up the Vancouver Exterior Deck Job and noticed something funny. Well not funny, but rather different. The entire home is heated. The floors are all heated. The only spot in the entire home that is not is the floor in the elevator.

It was quite noticeable walking off the heated floors into the elevator and then out again. I'm thinking if you are going to pay for an elevator it might as well be heated!

Does an elevator have line power inside or attached to the elevator itself? Does it use low voltage wire only for the key pad? How would I go about heating one? I told the builder I would figure it out.

A couple years back I did those three showers on the custom yacht. We heated the floors of the yacht with a low voltage heating system. I did not care for it so much but it might just be the answer if line power is not an option.

The Elevator's I see locally in Vancouver are all made by Western Elevator. If that helps any. Thanks Vegas.

 

[FullySprinklered]

Hey John, I need a dick-heater in my bloomers. Do you think the technology will transfer?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Vegas_sparky]

You'd have to see if there were any extra conductors in the travelling cable. Then you'd have the talk the elevator guys into giving you access to them.

The heated floor should have been spec'ed when it was ordered from the mfgr. Elevators aren't something to modify in the field. The GC is going to have to make a few phone calls to get approval, and then get it in writing.

 

[hj]

Can you imagine what it would be like to have an electical fire in an elevator because of a faulty heating mat?

 

[JohnfrWhipple]

Thanks guys.

I'll do some more research.

It can't be that hard and I do not think it is a fire scenario risk. I have never heard of a floor heating system catching on fire. Not buried under thin-set and tile anyway.

 

[Vegas_sparky]

I wouldn't be as worried about fire, as I would the liability from the electrical modifications and all the safety circuits.

120V utility power should already be in the car. Using it without approval opens a huge can of worms. Elevators are extremely serious business around here.

 

[JohnfrWhipple]

Thanks Vegas.

I'll check with the guys at Western Elevator to see how this can be done. The draw on a small heating cable has to be pretty low I'm thinking. 12 square feet total.

 

[Vegas_sparky]

Most I've seen is <15W sq/ft, with a 3" spacing. You'll be <200W total on that small floor.

How about the stat/controller? They'll really have a fit if you want to mount it on a wall in the car. With spares in the traveling cable you could bring a floor temp sensor back out of the car, and into a stat on a fixed interior wall. You'd also have to take switched power for the heating cable from outside-in.

Your best shot would be mounting everything inside the car. Utilize an existing circuit, with the stat and dedicated GFCI behind an existing access panel. If you can avoid messiing with the traveling cable, don't.