FAQs
Here you’ll find helpful solutions to our most commonly asked questions, from how much it costs to run our systems to advice on insulation, as well as trouble shooting and aftercare.
How much do electric systems cost to run?
Running costs are really reasonable. For example, our 160w/m² Snug Mats cost less than 1p per square metre per hour to run.
How long do floors take to heat up?
It depends which system you choose and how well insulated your subfloor is. If you use our insulated construction boards under tiles, your floor should get up to temperature within an hour. Because they’re more powerful, our 200w/m² Snug Mats heat up faster than the 160w/m² version.
Do I need to insulate my floors too?
If you’ve got room to insulate, we always recommend it. We know that in lots of homes floor level is critical and even adding as little as 6mm of insulation just isn’t practical. But if you can do it, you’ll feel the benefit. Our Snug Mat 160w/m² and 200w/m² systems give really good results on uninsulated concrete floors, both in conservatories and internal rooms. However, you’ll still be losing up to 30% of the heat you produce into the ground. Your floor will also take longer to heat up and cost more to run. If you choose to add insulation, you can do so either below the subfloor or as a layer of backing board on top of the subfloor. Even better, do both.
What floor bases are suitable to lay electric underfloor heating on?
Marine ply and thermal construction board, such as our Snug boards, are best. However, you can also lay it on concrete, but we would recommend laying it on top of our Snug boards, to maximise the efficiency.
Is there anywhere I can’t have underfloor heating?
If you’re using our Snug Mat FME under a wooden floor, make sure you don’t put any heating in areas where there’s going to be a thermal block – for example a kitchen unit, bath, large beanbag or piece of solid furniture with no legs to create airflow underneath. This can prevent heat escaping and cause your system to overheat. For wooden floors, we also recommend setting the thermostat to air + floor mode and to turn on the floor limiter.
How wide are our Snug Mats?
When a Snug Mat is run side by side, each run is designed to cover a width equivalent to approximately 500mm.
For example, in a 4m² Snug Mat pack the roll is 8 metres long and this pack is designed to cover an area of 4m².
How simple are Snug Mats to install?
Whether you are a DIY enthusiast or approved installation contractor, our Snug Underfloor Heating mats are designed with installers in mind and quick and simple to fit. The ultra thin profile of our Snug Mats are suitable for renovations, as well as new build projects. Only a pair of household scissors are needed when cutting the fiberglass mesh, however please note that the heating element cable must not be cut!
Each Snug Mat is fitted with a supply lead wire at one end only. You don’t need to worry about where the mat ends! Just cut the mesh and turn it any way to fit your floor space.
Our Snug Mats have a self adhesive side which is extremely sticky to allow easy fixing to the sub-floor.
The heating element cable can be easily detached from the fiberglass mesh to assist installation around shapes and obstacles.
You can combine multiple sizes of our Snug Mats to cover the total floor space and with multiple circuits the lead wires must be connected electrically in parallel. For example, for a heated floor area of 5m² you have the choice of using a Snug Mat sized at 5m² or a combination of 4m² + 1m² or 3m² + 2m².
For further installation advise, our helpful guides can be found here.
How do I choose the correct size of Snug Mat for my installation?
To help with this, we recommend that you draw a layout of the room and mark the area which will be covered with heating elements. Always start by measuring the FREE floor area available to apply the heat.
In a bathroom the free area is the floor area without the bath, shower, toilet, washbasin and any units. In a kitchen the free area is the floor area without the kitchen units and appliances.
Select the size of the Snug Mat below the actual free area available e.g. if the free area is 7.6m² you should select a 7m² mat, for 4.2m² a 4.0m² mat and so on. Bear in mind to leave a minimum 50mm unheated gap around the room perimeter when calculating the heated area.
Need more guidance? Our friendly team are on hand to talk this through with you further, simply call them on 01772 761333.
Is my property suitable for water underfloor heating?
Yes! All new UK properties are suitable for water underfloor heating, as they meet strict guidelines on insulation and airtightness. If you’ve got an older property, our retrofit solutions mean you can have high heat output underfloor heating too.
Can you use water underfloor heating on upper floors?
Yes. Our suspended heat plates allow hot water pipes to sit between the joists, so you can fit water underfloor heating on upper floors too. For more information on our Snug suspended systems, simply click here.
Where should I install my manifold?
Your manifold should be fitted centrally to avoid unnecessarily long pipe runs. Long pipe runs mean more pipe is required for the job, and can result in feeder pipes causing interference with thermostats. Normally a water underfloor heating manifold would be fitted under the stairs or in a cupboard, unless a utility room or garage was central enough.
Do I need a special boiler?
No, underfloor heating works with gas, oil and LPG boilers, as well as heat pumps.
What happens if there’s a fault or leak?
There are no joints in the underfloor heating pipes laid into the floor and the pipes we supply are designed to have a lifespan of over 50 years. So, unless the floor is badly damaged, it is extremely unlikely that there will ever be a leak. However, should you experience a leak, puncture repair kits are available.
Can I order a standard room water underfloor heating pack, based on my rooms size?
Yes, we have standard packs available for all of our systems. However, to ensure you achieve the most efficient and cost effective system for your space, we recommend speaking with one of our helpful technical team members. Simply give them a call on 01772 76133 or email sales@firsttrace.co.uk.
How long will my delivery take?
All confirmed orders are dispatched on a next day shipment for England and Wales. For the Channel Islands, Scotland and Northern Ireland please allow two working days for delivery.
Need it faster? We offer a range of options to get you snug that little bit sooner. Please request these with your merchant at the time of ordering:
- Next working day pre-10.30am delivery £34.00
- Next working day pre-12noon delivery £15.00
- Saturday delivery £35.00
For pallet deliveries, please contact our Snug support team for bespoke prices.
How will I know when my delivery is arriving?
If your merchant has provided an email or mobile number when ordering, a notification will be sent out from our courier advising of an estimated delivery time slot.
We’ll always do our best to make sure your delivery arrives on time. Sometimes delays can happen which we can’t control. Don’t worry, we’ll let you know if we hear of any possible delays.
Can I speak to someone about my delivery?
No problem at all! Our Snug Support team are on hand to help. They can be reached on 01772 761333, Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5pm. If you are contacting us outside of these times, either feel free to leave a message with your name and contact number and we’ll call you back as soon as we can or alternatively you can email sales@firsttrace.co.uk.
My item is faulty, what do I do?
If you’re concerned that your product is faulty, please contact our Snug support team who will be able to help. They can be reached on 01772 761333, Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5pm.
My SnugStat App dashboard is showing an error icon and reads ‘Unable to Connect to Server’?
If you see an error icon and message which reads ‘Unable to Connect to Server’ on the dashboard of your SnugStat App, this means that your SnugStat Wi-Fi Thermostat is not correctly connected to your Wi-Fi network.
To fix this, follow these simple steps:
- On your SnugStat Thermostat, select the cog icon at the bottom of the screen and enter ‘Feature settings’.
- Scroll up using the arrow icons until you reach ‘Network Setting’ and select.
- Check that your Wi-Fi Network is at the top of the screen and has a tick next to it. Please note, if you are connecting your thermostat to your Wi-Fi Network for the first time, it may take a 10-15mins to achieve a stable connection.
- If your Wi-Fi Network is not at the top of the screen, either select it, if it is present on the screen and re-enter your W-Fi password or if it is not present on the screen, select ‘OTHER’ and enter the Wi-Fi network details and password.
How do I pair my thermostat to the SnugStat app?
To pair your Wi-Fi SnugStat thermostat to the SnugStat app on your mobile phone, make sure you are connected to the same Wi-Fi network on your mobile phone as your thermostat. Please note, the SnugStat app only works with Wi-Fi enabled SnugStat thermostats.
To pair, follow the steps in the video below:
Is the location on my SnugStat App incorrect?
The location that is shown on the SnugStat App is based on the property location that you entered when you set up a property in your App, rather than the location of your thermostat. For example, if you added a postcode 50km away when you set up the property in your App, but your thermostat is actually in the property in which you are standing, the location on your App will read 50km.
To check that your property is set up in the correct location in your SnugStat App, simply go to property settings and check that your postcode and address are the same as where the SnugStat Wi-Fi Thermostat is installed.
I have moved outside of my distance based heating preference, but my target temperature has not changed?
To ensure that the distance based heating functionality does not drain your Smart phone battery, your location is pulled every 10 minutes, so it may take up to 10 minutes for the SnugStat App and SnugStat Wi-Fi Thermostat to recognise that you have moved outside your distance based heating rule.
How do I delete a temperature rule in the SnugStat App schedule?
To remove a temperature rule, simply hold your finger down on the temperature circle that you’d like to delete and when the small ‘x’ appears, select it and it will be removed from the schedule.
Why can I not add an additional temperature rule to my heating schedule in the SnugStat App?
You have a maximum of 4 temperature rules per schedule.
To remove a temperature rule, simply hold your finger down on the temperature circle that you’d like to delete and when the small ‘x’ appears, select it and it will be removed from the schedule.
To change a temperature rule, place your finger on the temperature circle and drag it to your desired time and temperature.
How do I schedule in holidays, with the holiday function?
You can schedule your upcoming holiday in the SnugStat Thermostat itself, by following these simple steps:
- On the SnugStat Wi-Fi Thermostat, press the ‘Holiday’ icon.
- Select the ON / OFF icon.
- Under ‘Holiday Start’, press the column of the Day / Month / Year and use the scroll function or the arrow icons to set the Day / Month / Year values.
- Under ‘Holiday End’, press the column of the Day / Month / Year and use the scroll function or the arrow icons to set the Day / Month / Year values.
- Press the ‘Go Back’ arrow to save and return to the home screen.
Please note that you should set your holiday to end the day before you come home, as the timer will end at 23.59pm that night, ensuring you come home to a warm house.
How do I lock my SnugStat Wi-Fi Thermostat screen from my SnugStat App?
- From the dashboard screen, tap on the desired room, that you wish to lock the thermostat screen for. This will take you to the full page room view.
- Select ‘Room Settings’ at the top of the page.
- Toggle the screen lock option to ‘On’
- You will then be asked for a 4 digit passcode. Once this is entered, your thermostat screen will be locked.
- A small padlock icon will appear on the thermostat, to advise that the screen is locked.
How do I unlock my SnugStat Wi-Fi Thermostat screen from my SnugStat App?
- From the dashboard screen, tap on the desired room, that you wish to lock the thermostat screen for. This will take you to the full page room view.
- Select ‘Room Settings’ at the top of the page.
- Toggle the screen lock option to ‘OFF’.
How do I unlock my SnugStat Wi-Fi Thermostat, without the App?
To unlock the thermostat screen, without the use of your app follow the below steps:
- On the SnugStat Wi-Fi Thermostat, press anywhere on the screen.
- A prompt will then appear for you to enter the 4 digit passcode that you used to lock your thermostat screen with.
- Should you forget the 4 digit passcode that you used to lock the screen, the Master Key is 8657.
Still need help?
Our Snug Support Champions are technical experts who love helping you get the most from our systems and finding the right one for your project. Give them a call today on 01772 761333 or get in touch via our contact form here.