Ditra-Heat in Tile-Redi Pan? Anyone done this?
Has anyone installed Ditra Heat in a Tile-Redi pan (either off the shelf or custom)? Ditra-Heat USA responded to a post of mine yesterday stating that Tile-Redi would not void their warranty for heated floor installation. However they said to reach out to the Heated Floor Manufacturer (Schlueter for Ditra-Heat) to see if their product (Ditra-Heat) is compatible with a polyurethane pan.
I had wanted to heat my 93x43 custom Tile Redi pan but had given up on the idea. I still have time to adjust if adding Ditra Heat will work on the shower floor. Of course since you can't drill through the Tile-Redi pan a clever way would be needed to run the wires from the pan (under the Ditra Heat) and probably up the back of the tile wall tile and behind an adjoining wall. Also further adjustments would be needed in how much I notch my floor joists to get the Barrier Free Tile Redi pan that would have Ditra Heat installed FLUSH with the DITRA HEAT going on the main shower floor.
So has anyone followed up with Schlueter and gotten a conclusive answer?
Has anyone successfully done this type of Ditra Heat Tile Redi Pan installation and what are your thoughts?
Thank you and HAPPY FRIDAY!
OLD TOM from Indianapolis
It could probably be done with a sort of mini divot method around the drain. Ditra heat cables are supposed to be placed under sheet membrane. But to keep the water from wicking under the membrane (since you wouldn’t have a bonding flange at the same level as the sheet membrane) a sealant would need to be used to seal the sheet membrane to the base of the tile Redi drain. The resulting gap could be filled with sealant or highly modified thinset before tiling.
I don’t think it causes the cables to fail if they are under water and I have heard of local contractors in my area using Strata Mat on top of hot mop and deck mud with no membrane over the top of it.