Tiles: Problem with the kettle and cable from the screed

Hello dear forum community,

In my new utility room, I have two problems and hope you can provide me with some tips:

1) A 100-liter water boiler (-storage) is installed. I cannot move or dismantle it. However, I would like to prevent water from running underneath the tiles beneath it (e.g., in case of a washing machine defect). One could apply a silicone joint, but that would look extremely ugly since it would probably be 2-3 cm high. Therefore, I am looking for a way to prevent water from running underneath there.

2) I have a fiber optic cable that was pulled through an empty conduit in the floor slab. Unfortunately, the cable comes out of the screed about 15 cm away from the wall. I am looking for a way to make this look neater.

It is a concrete screed, and there is underfloor heating installed beneath it. If you need photos, please let me know. Thank you very much in advance for your answers.

1. Either remove and level or, for example, separate with a strip. I would not recommend just a joint on the floor. Certainly no silicone, rather PU. Although tiles do not prevent water from running underneath... You could also paint the non-tiled area with a floor coating. What exactly are you afraid of? Washing machines all have aquastop... I have never had one "leak". What happens if a few liters of water get on the floor? We are not talking about huge amounts. Do you have a leakage sensor? You wipe it up and in a few days it is dry again.

2. I don’t know the exact situation. A fiber optic cable requires little space. The problem is the bending radius. Do you have pictures of the underfloor heating installation? Normally, there is none directly in the wall area. Then just chase a groove and it’s fine. Or just place a server cabinet there and feed the cable through the bottom of the cabinet.

Hello, thank you very much for your feedback. Unfortunately, dismantling is associated with a cost of 500 euros including VAT. Therefore, I am looking for a more cost-effective, neat solution. If nothing else is possible, then it must of course be dismantled.

I took a picture of the boiler. The tiles are currently still missing, so you can gain about 1 cm in height there. Since the entire heating system is also installed there, I would like to avoid water running into the screed in case of a defect.

That’s the idea. PU? Do you mean assembly adhesive here?

Regarding the second problem with the cable: Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures showing the floor installation. I don’t really want to put a server cabinet there. I initially had the idea to open the screed so that I can lay the cable there. However, I have now read that this should not be done and am therefore looking for another solution to the problem.

By PU I did not mean mounting adhesive but PU joints/sealant. Significantly more elastic and durable than silicone. For example, Sikaflex Tank N for your application. Then you’re safe. It doesn’t look that bad at all. Put some filler material (like a foam cord) into the joint between the floor and the tank casing. Either apply the PU joint right away (I would do that) or after tiling. Regarding the fiber optic cable, I would carefully slit it (by hand). It is important that material is removed at the exit hole. Only then can you achieve a flat bending radius. Depending on what kind of covering you put there, you can also hide part of the height... But I would simply embed it in the screed with a thin empty conduit.