11
RESTRICTIONS ON FURNITURE PLACEMENT AND PRECAUTIONS IN USE:
Always remember that you have a thin electrical appliance installed directly below your carpet!
To prevent any damage to the Environ II panel, the carpet cushion, the carpet itself and anything above the carpet (including yourself!), always strictly
enforce the following restrictions and precautions:
·
NEVER
pierce the carpet with sharp items such as knives, pins, tacks, staples, needles and the like;
·
NEVER
drive nails or screws through the carpet to secure furniture in position or for any other reason;
·
NEVER
drop heavy articles onto the carpet;
·
Area rugs and oriental carpets may be placed on top of the heated carpet; but the total thickness of both carpets (ie the wall to wall carpet plus
the rug) must never exceed 1½ inches;
·
Never
use chairs on castors directly on the carpet surface – always use a plastic “carpet protector” that is no more than ½-inch thick and does
not have spikes that are long enough to penetrate the backing of the carpet and come into contact with the heater. Most commercial plastic
“carpet protector” in the market will be acceptable.
·
Never
place any furniture that has feet with a “footprint” of 1/4–square inch (ie ½” x ½”) or less on the carpet, irrespective of the weight of the
furniture.
·
Never
place any item with a “footprint” of 36-square inches (ie 6” x 6”) or more on the carpet, if that item is thicker than 1” (for example, do not
leave a mattress, bean bag or dog bed on the carpet).
·
Furniture that has feet with a footprint between ¼-square inch and 36-square inches must not exert a force greater than 100 pounds per square
inch (“psi”) on the carpet surface. The psi of any piece of furniture may be determined by dividing its total weight (in pounds) by the total
surface area of the parts in contact with the carpet (in square inches), eg a 150-pound sofa on which two 250-pound adults are sitting has a
total weight of 650 pounds. If it has 4 feet, each 2” x 2”, the total surface contact area is 4 x (2” x 2”) = 16-square inches. 650 pounds divided
by 16-sq.in. = 40 pounds per square inch.
·
Any bulky item of furniture on short legs (e.g. a sofa or a bed) must have a minimum of 2-inches clearance between the top surface of the carpet
and the underside of the furniture to allow free movement of air through that space. Do not allow bedclothes or drapes to restrict the
airfl ow
under a bed!
·
Specifi c items of furniture that should never be allowed onto the carpet surface:-
•
Pianos
•
Stands for hi-fi speakers that have sharp points as feet
• Bookcases
• Closed-bottom furniture
