So what do a TDR (Time Domain Reflectometer) and a Hound Dog have in common? They are both used to sniff out their prey; they just go about it differently. So how does a TDR meter “sniff” out a short or break in your underfloor radiant heating product? Basically, it sends an electrical pulse into the connected cable, traveling along the cable until it reaches the fault and then that pulse is sent back to the TDR. The time it took for that pulse to reach the fault and travel back is measured and converted to a distance reading that will appear on the TDR Meter. One of the many benefits of under floor electric heating is that it is virtually maintenance free. No moving parts to replace and your heating source is safely embedded in cementitious material beneath your floor covering providing some serious protection. The only time you might encounter an issue is during the initial installation process. For example, we recently helped troubleshoot an issue with an underfloor electric radiant system that was not performing correctly. Turns out that there had been some minor damage done to the wire during installation and on top of that, the 120V heating system was connected to a 240V circuit. Not recommended by the way. By overpowering the heating wire, that area with slight damage turned into a problem spot. As illustrated below, by using the TDR meter, the short was located and repaired without removing much of the flooring. For more detailed information on how you would use a TDR meter to troubleshoot those rare, but occasional issues involving a short or break in your floor heating system, check http://www.warmup.com/blog/us/2014/06/27/how-to-find-fix-a-floor-heating-system/