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.

Don’t get left in the cold

Okay, so it may not be time to pop the heating on yet and you can still get away with leaving your coat at home, but believe it or not, now is the time to start prepping your property for the winter!

In the next couple of month the weather will be turning dramatically colder, (depressing, we know). We are currently installing Trace heating and pipe protection for a variety of uses throughout the UK including preventing burst pipes. The majority of failing pipes in this country are caused by pipes bursting when frozen. We have a range of easy to install pipe protection for small domestic applications or larger commercial purposes!

We know it may not be at the top of your list of priorities at the moment, but now is the time to sort out these issues!

Here at cross we have pipe protection is for a number of applications including –

• Boiler condensate pipes

• Outdoor water supplies

• Water and waste pipes

• Irrigation systems

• Sprinkler systems

• Farm and animal water supplies

For larger domestic or commercial pipe protection requirements we supply the very best in trace heating. Trace heating cables provide focused and controllable heat to prevent pipes and gutters from freezing. Trace heating cables 'self regulate' their temperature so they cannot overheat. What’s more is that they can also be cut to length during installation to ensure the perfect fit!

There are many benefits of trace heating, which you can find in our blog post here. Here at Cross Electrical Ltd we design, manufacture, install and supply a complete range of heating cables suitable for every Trace heating application. Give us a call on – to find out more about how you can start preparing your home or commercial property for the cold months now! 

What’s so great about our XEL-W Hot Water Pipework system

We promote our modern solution, the XEL-W, because it offers an effective, energy efficient solution for hot water pipe work within re-circulation systems. With global warming being such a widely talked about issue, and everyone becoming more and more aware of their carbon footprint, energy efficiency is an important part of the building and construction industry.

In fact, UK building regulations require all engineers, architects and builders to ensure that they work hard to reduce energy use in the areas in which they work, and they must to utilise renewable sources of energy.

That is where our  XEL-W hot water pipework comes in. Just one area in which those working in these types of industry can make an impact on this reduction in the energy use of a whole building, our hot water pipework is extremely efficient.

Standard methods of hot water distribution in a building, often referred to as ‘flow and return’, don’t necessarily work with in commercial use.

This is because the system is not energy efficient for commercial and industry use and can often lead to significant heat losses and subsequently money losses.

Our aim is to ensure your industry is utilising the correct temperature maintenance when building or constructing homes and buildings to enable the best cost-effectiveness for yourself and your clients in addition to using energy efficiently. 

XEL-W  offers an effective solution for hot water pipe work within re-circulation systems. This piece of equipment can have a significant impact on energy efficiency. By combining hot water comfort with economical methods, the self-regulating heating cable fitted can compensate for the heat loss of water in the pipe while ensuring that hot water is delivered at the desired temperature the whole way through to the hot water system.

It’s the perfect solution for hot water temperature maintenance of pipes in:

•  Family homes
•  Industry buildings
•  Hospitals
•  Sports centres
•  Houses and flats

By providing hot water from every tap outlet it eliminates the necessity for return pipe work and reduces energy consumption. What’s even better is that it is very easy to install and no maintenance is required. 

With 50% less pipe work than normal hot water pipe work systems the XEL-W has been specifically designed for such application and can even be fitted to existing systems preventing the running of gallons of cold water in order to get to the hot water.

Benefits of Underfloor heating

Underfloor heating is where heating cables are applied within floor structures or beneath flooring systems to provide both primary and comfort heating. Here at Cross Electrical we have a wonderful range of unique, quality underfloor heating solutions for homeowners and the contracting industry alike. Installed in hours without the need for specialist tools or skills, our special underfloor heating products are low profile and won't raise floor levels.

But why would you install underfloor heating in your home? Here’s just a few reasons...

Space Saver -

Under floor heating allows you the freedom to design your room layout without having compromise around conventional heat sources. It can be irritating working your furniture and around heat sources like radiators. Underfloor heating gives you the flexibility to put your furniture where it best suits your lifestyle needs and room shape.

Minimum Maintenance –

There is little that can go wrong or that needs to be maintained in an underfloor heating system.  If correctly installed and tested, any potential leaks or problems can be identified at an early stage and dealt with before the laying of the floor. Thus there are no regular maintenance costs to incur which can sometimes be the case with traditional convection heating.

Fabulously Flexible -

Unlike traditional convection heating systems, controlled by a single thermostat, an underfloor heating system provides the flexibility to control individual room temperatures via thermostats. This means you can control the temperature of every area of your home instead of wasting energy and money heating areas of the property which are used less.

Crazy Comfortable -

One of the worst things about getting out of bed can be stepping out onto a cold laminate or stone flooring! Whether it’s in your bedroom, kitchen or bathroom, cold floors on warm feet can be really horrible! Thus, one of the key advantages to underfloor heating is that it banishes this problem, heating the whole floor area of your home. Furthermore, compared to conventional radiators, an underfloor heating system generates more radiant heat as opposed to convective heat, leaving you with a generally cosier environment.

Super Safe

Installing and using a floor heating system means there are no radiators, and so there is no longer a risk to small children and other vulnerable groups to get burnt.

Health improvements

Floor heating is good for asthma sufferers and people with allergies as it produces a lot less airborne dust than radiators.

With a range of under floor heating systems for safely heating under tile floors, under wood floors, under laminate floors, under carpet floors and more, we’re confident that we can supply a heating system for your project. We have the products and support to make your project run smoothly and we offer a free quotation service and practical advice. This simple method of heating has been available from Cross for many years, providing a cost effective and energy efficient system for any application.