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!

Prevent Downtime with Heat Tracing

By preparing for winter; processing plants, machinery and equipment means production can continue as normal through the season. Installing Cross Electrical heat tracing cables can avoid constant maintenance and improve machine efficiency and ultimately prevent downtime.

It is considered good practice to develop an action plan during cold snaps to assist in prioritising and managing problems. This could include anything from frozen pipes to the unavailability of staff during very bad weather conditions.

Investing in trace heating will mean that vulnerable parts of machinery and the plant itself stay operational during the cold weather by running an electrical current alongside pipes. These pipes are then coated in thermal protection to prevent heat escaping. This allows the hot water system to flow continually despite the weather.

Cross Electrical have a wide range of trace heating cables to suit a variety of frost protection applications. This also includes our own XSSTC, XHP, XSW and XEL heating cables that can be designed for many winterisation projects. Thermostatically controlled, the heating cables only ever energise when temperatures drop below a pre-configured figure, acting to prevent the disastrous consequences of winter.

The XHP family of fixed resistance, constant wattage heating cables is used for metal, plastic pipes and vessels. XHP heating cables can be designed for non-standard heating applications using any voltage from 6 to 415 volts. These cables provide fixed resistance; therefore circuit resistance can be tested periodically regardless of ambient or process temperatures and can be used on applications up to 280⁰C.

The XEL family of self-regulating, parallel circuit heating cables is used for frost protection of metal and plastic pipes and vessels. With the facility to cut on site to the required length, XEL heating cables provide a reliable heating solution to the problem of frozen pipework.

Cross Electrical can manufacture, design and install a complete trace heating system to solve any problems that future winters may cause and will ensure that your pipe work never freezes again.

Remember last winter? Frost protection

Remember the drastic temperatures and weather spouts of last winter? Since then, trace heating has since become a requirement in many homes across the UK.

Since then we are all too aware of the damage that frozen pipe work can cause to domestic homes after temperatures plummet below freezing including building damage, temporary blockages and inconveniences while pipes and ice thaws out, the same problems are also very prominent in industrial, commercial and agricultural environments.

Particular problems during last winter were caused by heating condensate pipes which caused boilers to shut down due to frozen pipe work between boilers and homes which ran externally to the properties.

Note: It is important to note that it is not always the freezing that causes the expensive consequences and outcome such as leaks, but the splits and cracks once the pipes thaw out that do causing widespread damage to homes, businesses and production lines.

We all know that a proactive approach is always better than a reactive approach, and this same system applies to frozen pipe work with the best prevention being to install trace heating cables onto all pipes which are likely to be exposed to the freezing conditions.

This can involve wrapping a cable to pipes which heats up when temperatures plummet below a certain temperature. We offer various trace heating cable options as Cross Electrical which can be tailored to suit your output levels and temperature requirements to ensure optimum levels of performance with less downtime.

Once pipes are wrapped with these cables, thermal insulation is then be applied to the pipes to further insulate and keep heat in equaling a very cheap and cost effective alternative to the consequence that frozen pipe work can bring to businesses and homes, as a barrier against freezing temperatures.

Cross Electrical can manufacture, design and install a complete trace heating system to solve any problems that future winters may cause and will ensure that your pipe work never freezes again.

Apply anywhere from outbuildings and outside taps through to garages and processing pipe work. 

Hot water temperature maintenance

Static water in any hot water system over time will cool and during the winter months the prospect of it freezing is even more likely.

This can cause an inconvenience in any industry, as in order to get running water or an adequate temperature of water, cold water has to be run out of the system before hot water will reach its output or tap.

As a result water bills and energy bills can increase with higher levels of water wastage and more energy being consumed in order to heat the water. Time is also exhausted by the user spending time unproductively controlling water temperature.

A simple, efficient and cost effective way of combating this problem is to use trace heating solutions to ensure that water is kept a consistently regulated temperature and hot inside hot water pipe work and at a temperature tailored to suit your requirements.

This also ensures that a circulating system isn’t needed in order to provide hot water.

At Cross Electrical we can supply both trace heating and thermal insulation for hot water pipe work for adequate temperature maintenance solutions not only over the winter months but throughout the entire year so that a thermal balance is created where the heat output from trace heating correctly matches heat lost from the pipe.

If you are looking for more industry specific trace heating solutions for the chemical industry, oil refineries, power plants or food factories then we can also design, manufacture and supply to suit such requirements using your regulatory temperature as a limit and carefully matching one of our solutions.

We are also finding a greater increase in the use of trace heating in laboratories for researchers working in the materials field and need trace heating for use isotropically in combination with other objects with thermodynamic properties.

You will find some ready assembled trace heating for water pipe kits with preset and predetermined temperature and limit controls throughout our website.

Please take the time to browse our brochure and should you not be able to find what you are looking for or a specific answer to your question then please don’t hesitate to contact the team at Cross Electrical.

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.

A guide to Bitumen heating

As specialists in providing a comprehensive package of design, installation and maintenance of Bitumen trace heating systems throughout the UK and overseas, we have successfully installed our trace heating products in a broad variety of applications of Bitumen in its liquid state including storage and processing facilities.

What is Bitumen?

As an oil-based substance, Bitumen is a semi-solid hydrocarbon product that is produced by removing elements such as liquid petrol and diesel from heavy crude oil during the refinement process.

Commonly known as Asphalt in other areas of the world, when paired with a mixture of small stones, sand and filler it can be used for road paving – however, this is not the type of bitumen that we refer to.

With our Bitumen Trace Heating systems, we aim to offer solutions with the intended purpose of safely handling this liquid Bitumen.

With modern electrical trace heating becoming increasingly more important in industries that deal in manufacturing, heated hoses and wires with particular features are becoming a requirement in the production of ground reinforcement and heat recycling.

You may already have a Bitumen Processing facility in place, in which case we can provide you with the advice as well as the right heating cables to suit your needs.

We understand that the efficient handling and storage of Bitumen is vital to the smooth running of your business which with downtime could see reduced production and processing and in turn a loss of profits.

Planned and preventative maintenance of your heating systems could prevent such occurrences – at Cross Electrical, we provide this maintenance service whether you purchased from us or another provider.

Click here for further information on our responsive maintenance and service option.

How?

Our Bitumen trace heating systems are designed by looking closely at your needs and your method of processing. We offer practical advice on the temperature control of pipework throughout our understanding of working in a safe, reliable and maintenance free environment.

Our sole aim is to ensure that Bitumen can flow freely all day, every day without blocking pipework or solidifying between delivery points and storage containments.

As Bitumen needs to be kept among some of the highest range of temperatures, usually handled above 150°C with some of the most optimum temperatures higher than 600°C, it is vital to ensure that there are no danger of reactions to colder weather or outside forces which could drastically affect the temperature of the Bitumen.

Because of this, Cross Electrical provide preventative solutions to combat this with a variety of fully terminated trace heating units which can comprise of heating cables, thermal insulation and temperature controllers. These units, we ensure are fully compliant with your requirements and are catered toward your industry needs and functions.

These units are not only efficient in keeping the Bitumen at the most optimum state but are also robust and durable, designed with an applications environment in mind, with considerations to fumes and heat.

Our range

Our range of trace heating units which are applicable for Bitumen solutions include the XSSTC, which are heavy duty stainless steel sheathed heating cables, the standard XSS/SC and XCN/SC.

All of these can be purchased from us to be installed by your own pre-approved engineers with a view to delivering a newly designed or replacement heating unit via next day delivery.

This service works well if you have a fully established Bitumen processing faculty.

Our Cross Electrical qualified and highly trained engineers can also complete an on-site installation to industry standards with full consideration placed to healthy and safety and quality assurance legislation – this service includes a full project management service and on-site supervision.

The ranges we provide are:

•  XSSTC – This range of heating cables is made from a stainless steel sheathed twin conductor and provides single run heating heating circuits for applications above 600°C.
• XSS/SC – This range is made of stainless steel sheathed single conductor heating cables which can provide resistance to most corrosive substances above 600°C with a minimum installation temperature of -60°C.
•  XCN/SC – Made from Cupro-Nickel, this range of single conductor heating cables is cost efficient for Bitumen kept at intermittent temperatures up to 250°C.

Find out more about our full range of Bitumen Trace heating cables on our website, you will also find some PDF guides to which cables will suit your application.

For answers to any questions or to enquire about our products please contact us.   

Avoid School Closures: Prepare Schools for the Winter Now

The summer holiday is a time for students and teachers to relax but if you are responsible for managing the school then it can actually be the busiest part of the year.

It is important to get the school completely prepared for when the new term begins and the whole academic year starts again. You might need to complete safety checks, test security systems, and complete jobs that cannot be completed during term time. Amongst other things, you might want to think about what heating and freeze protection systems you have in place.

Although the summer has only just begun, you should prepare your building for the winter months in advance to avoid the hassle of having to close your school due to safety, and parents becoming annoyed by the costs ensued from childcare.

At Cross Electrical we specialise in trace heating systems which are designed to prevent pipes from becoming frozen during the winter by reducing the amount of heat that they lose via their surface. Electrical trace heating is a method of raising the temperatures of pipes in a freezing climate so that water inside them does not freeze.

It is a safe and maintenance-free system; once it has been put in place you no longer need to worry about pipes freezing during the winter.

In addition to preventing pipes from freezing, trace heating can also be used to maintain a constant temperature in hot water systems. It is particularly useful for containing substances that would otherwise solidify in ambient temperatures.

A thermostat is usually used to boost heat if a substance within a pipe falls below or rises above certain temperatures, these temperatures are referred to as the “setpoints”.

Heat tracing cables can be situated on the roof of a building or in the gutters during the winter to melt any ice that builds up there. When tracing cables are put into gutters it does not mean that no ice occurs in the gutter at all. Instead the aim is to provide a path for melted water to fall from the roof and down the piping.

Combining trace heating with the right thermal insulation creates a balance whereby the heat output from the trace heating matches the heat loss from the pipe so that a perfect, consistent temperature is maintained.

This type of piping is used in many industrial applications such as oil refineries or food factories where a certain material solidifies below 50◦C for example, which is much hotter than the surrounding air. The pipeline must have additional external heating to prevent the pipe and what it is carrying from cooling down – which is where trace heating comes in.

Essentially trace heating is a cost-efficient, reliable method of preventing ice from harming a building. If you would like to find out more about the trace heating systems and other methods of protecting your building from extreme weather condition, contact us on 01159 375 121 or make an enquiry via our website.