Melting solutions for Snow and Ice in the Winter months!

It’s that time of year again! December is upon up and winter have well and truly reared its icy head. As we enter these cold months, ice, snow and freezing all become issues that we are faced with. We all look forward to a white Christmas, but sometimes problems can arise from a winter wonderland.

Once the holidays are over and the work force returns, it’s often when the real cold sets in. Snow and ice can be dangerous for those on the pavement as well as those in vehicles on the road.

At Cross Electrical we have a range of snow and ice melting solutions that can help keep your property and business safe for users.

Winter danger areas include roads, driveways, ramps, helipads and pedestrian zones. These can all are kept free from snow and ice with Cross Electrical. There is less traffic congestion and there are fewer accidents on icy winter roads.

Using a Cross outdoor surface heating/cooling system saves costs, reduces the amount of personnel required for clearing snow and minimises personal injury and damage to property significantly in adverse weather conditions. In addition to this, the system is energy efficient, as all systems have ‘bespoke’ temperature control panels incorporating electronic controllers with remote sensors mounted in the surface of the outdoor area providing maximum energy savings.

Stations or other services that are outside which see a lot of footfall would benefit from underground heating as additional costs for the operator for on-call duty such as clearing snow and cleaning up is difficult to plan ahead of time. At the same time, the costs for cleaning the carriages and maybe escalators which exist due to the contamination caused by grit and salt are reduced.

Should the heating cables be directly under asphalt, embedded in concrete or integrated into stairways or steps our products provide longevity of service for any application. To find out more about our Cross snow melting system don’t hesitate to contact us with your questions.

Heating throughout history

Fire had been the original and obvious source for home heating for throughout history and until recent times was the only source for home heating. With this being said, the manner in fire has been used for heating has changed greatly.

In the Skara Brae site in Orkney, Scotland (3180 BCE-2500 BCE) the homes contained a square hearth in the center for both eating and cooking. This standard heating unit with a hearth in the center of the room and a smoke hole overhead, continued in some parts of the world up until the Middle Ages, but in the Roman world great improvements were made. The upper class Roman had a hypocaust heating system. In this system, the floor was raised several feet off the ground on tile pillars, and fires were then built underneath the floors, becoming the first known case of radiant heating.[i]

The fireplace as we know it today first came around in the 1200’s. During these times they were likely to smoke up a room due to the lack of chimneys. This impracticality meant that fireplaces themselves were often built more for aesthetic reasons over practical uses.

The radiator was obviously a huge improvement in heating a room when it was invented in 1855. Hot water or steam was used to heat individual rooms, but with simplistic thermostats often meant it was difficult to get the temperature right where it was wanted. There have been stories from the 1800’s of people having to open the windows in winter when a room have overheated.

The furnace was introduced in the late Victorian period, where a central unit could heat an entire building. By the middle of the 20th century, Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning systems had been introduced throughout the western world.

Cross Electrical (Nottingham) Ltd specialises in the design, manufacture, supply and install electrical trace heating systems incorporating a thermal insulation division. Our fully qualified service and installation engineers provide both a national and international coverage for all types of application within industry and commerce.

HERE AT CROSSELECTRICAL WE ARE THE CONTROLLERS OF TEMPERATURE!

Call us today on - +44 (0)115 937 5121

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[i] http://timourrashed.com/ancient-methods-heating-home/

Temperature Maintenance from Cross Electrical

Many raw materials and products will only remain in a liquid state if they are kept above a specific temperature. Electric trace heating and thermal insulation isa system used to maintain or increase the temperature of vessels and pipes. This process can be used to protect pipes from freezing or to maintain process temperatures for piping that must transport substances that solidify at ambient temperatures.

Traceheating is an electrical heating element placed in physical contact along the length of a pipe. The pipe is then covered with thermal insulation to maintain the temperature and reduce any heat losses, so that the heat generated by the element then preserves the temperature of the pipe.
Electrical trace heating and thermal insulation provides the solution of maintaining the temperature of a product in a pipe or vessel ensuring that your process pipework and systems deliver your product to the point of delivery at the required temperature.

When subjected to low ambient temperatures, heat loss can cause the contents viscosity to increase. This can cause the material to harden or set within the pipework, either slowing down the process or causing problems to pumping equipment. For example, wax is a substance which starts to solidify below 70 °C, which is usually far above the temperature of the surrounding air. Therefore the pipeline must be provided with an external source of heat to prevent the pipe and the material inside it from cooling down.

Trace heating can also be done with steam, but this requires a source of steam and may be inconvenient to install and operate. By utilising the correct type of Heating Cable, Thermal Insulation and Temperature Control, process pipework will operate efficiently for many years.
From our range of XSSTC (mineral insulated heating cables) XSW, XSWE (single wire), XHP and self-regulating heating cables we can confidently Design and Install, Maintain and Supply heating systems ensuring  production never stops.

With CrossElectrical controlling the temperature for industries for over 40 years why compromise? Call us today on -01159722050

The history of underfloor heating

Did you know that underfloor heating is far from a new concept? It has actually been dated back as far as the Neolithic period and has been used throughout history as a main form of heating. The type of underfloor heating we offer to you today is a far cry from some of the methods used in the past.  We’ve compiled a concise history of some of the inventive systems used by our ancestors to heat their homes.

The earliest forms of heated flooring have been dated back to as early as 5,000 BC. Archaeologists have found evidence that shows the use of ‘baked flooring’ dating back to this time. Found in China, these methods heated floors by drafting hot smoke from fires through trenches cut into the floors.
There is evidence that the Romans were using underfloor heating systems on a larger scale by around 500 BC. Their homes were constructed with voids in the floors and walls through which air, warmed by an open fire, could pass through to heat the structure. These systems were often used in Roman baths and would heat the pools of water as well as the rooms.

In the following 500 years, similar methods of underfloor heating was widely used throughout China and Korea, but was not used significantly in Europe until much later. These days it has developed so much that it has become one of the most energy efficient forms of heating available on the market. As people are striving towards more energy efficient homes, underfloor heating is being used more and more in both commercial and residential new build properties.
The systems of today are exceptionally comfortable and controllable. They remove the need for radiators resulting in more room space and heat provided underfloor is distributed completely evenly causing is zero dust circulation.

This simple method of heating has been available from us for many years, providing a cost effective and energy efficient system for any application. We have the products and support to make your project run smoothly, offering a free quotation service and practical advice. Our electric under floor heating products can be installed in hours without the need for specialist tools or skills, the products we propose are low profile and won't raise floor levels.   Call us today for more information!

Temperature maintenance and trace heating in your holiday home

If you’re lucky enough to own a holiday home or string of holiday homes it is probable that with vacation season being over your properties are more than likely to see a reduction in the number of holiday makers, guests and visitors.

As the nights get darker and the weather and temperatures cool your holiday homes will require more regular maintenance with an absence of body heat from passing people, traffic and day-to-day activities.

While you are not present at your holiday home, you should put in place such a maintenance program to keep your property in good working  order not only to keep running costs down but to be sure that it is at its most efficient and attractive when holiday season begins again.

Taking consideration to risks will keep your property safe, secure and functioning when you are unlikely to be visiting or renting out.

Prepare for winter

As many of us have experienced over the winter months, when temperatures plunge there is a high likelihood of pipes freezing or bursting.

Such damage can not only be harmful to your home but also to your bank balance and if it happens at a time when your holiday home is unoccupied, it can mean the burst pipe can go unnoticed for weeks which can cause even further damage – damaged ceilings, water-soaked furniture and ruined electrical appliances can be the nasty consequences of such an eventuality.

Without taking the right precautions freezing temperatures are likely to damage the plumbing and pipe systems for your vacation property.

There are many ways that you can prevent burst water and heating pipes and leaks:

Switching on NOT off

One of the main causes of frozen pipes is turning off the central heating completely when your holiday home is empty. While this can seem a cost efficient solution in terms of saving energy and money while your holiday home isn’t occupied it can expose your home to the outside temperatures in addition to the exposure of irreparable damage being caused to burst pipes.

As one of the main causes of frozen pipes, switching off your central heating completely and preventing the continuous flow of water is not the solution. It is recommended to leave your heating on a low temperature to minimise such dangers particularly during the coldest months (aim between 7 and 15 degrees) and consider a timer.

Lagging

Hot water or heating pipe work contained in unheated areas such as lofts, cellars and basements or those within the walls of your holiday home will be more prone to freezing.  As pipes are often situated above the insulation you should ensure that they are lagged well with insulating foam coverings. The thinner the pipes, the thicker the insulation sleeves should be. Water tanks also need insulation too. If your pipes are located in a loft space, keep the loft door ajar to allow heat to circulate. 

Drip Drop

You will have noticed a reoccurring theme in the above two methods – flow. Keeping the fluid within your pipe work continuously flowing will prevent water from freezing and therefore bursting as it provides pressure relief.

Simply turning off a tap for the prolonged period that your holiday home is empty will not be enough to prevent freezing as with a lot of water already in your heating and hot water systems putting a stop to the flow will build up pressure. Allowing your taps to drip slightly will keep water flowing albeit extremely slowly.

Drain

Suddenly stopping a continuous flow for a long period is likely to cause problems. Ask yourself, where is the water already in the system going to go? If it is cold, it will freeze; pressure will build up and as a consequence – burst.

Consider getting a qualified plumber to drain down the water and central heating system which will remove any risks to freezing completely.  

Temperature maintenance/Trace heating

While lagging outside or under insulated pipes can seem like enough, it isn’t always which is when having a temperature maintenance or trace heating system fitted can lower the risks the freezing temperatures can pose.

Having a low voltage electrical cable with frost thermostats wrapped around your pipes beneath the lagging is an excellent prevention method.

Thermostatically controlled, the heating cables only ever energise when temperatures drop below a stipulated figure, acting to prevent the disastrous consequences of winter.

Never overheating, with extremely low running costs purchasing trace heating from Cross Electrical can bring investment benefits for many years to come and do not require drainage of your water systems or interrupt your current electrical supplies.  Find out more about our trace heating solutions here.

Insurance

Having the right type of holiday home insurance to cover every eventuality is key to protecting your holiday home.  By predicting and implementing such cover you will ensure that your property is not rendered worthless following any misfortunes.

To find out more about our hot water pipe work, temperature maintenance products and trace heating solutions contact Cross Electrical today.