Heating Cables

Applications for Heating Cables

Ground Heating

For green houses, lawns and other ground, where nature in the early spring or in the late autumn needs help through extra supply of heat.

The heating cable is placed in a sand layer (thickness approx. 50mm) in 200-300mm depth and in loops with a cc-distance of 200-250mm. It should be equipped with protection againsst digging, i.e. tile, cable protection, wire mesh or similar.

Avoid placing the cable in peat soil and similar materials with low heat conductive capacity. Thermostat with sensor in the gorund must be used (placed in pipes, which have been tightened at the end). The plant must be equipped with fault current relay and marked with weather proof tag plates.

Snow Melting - Calc. 200-350W/m²

It is often neccessary to keep paths, steps, ramps, halls, car parks etc. free of snow and ice. The need for power and mounting varies according to the technical construction of the plant. The heating cable is placed in a sand layer, stone free asphalt or directly in concrete approx. 50mm below level, which can be asphalt, concrete flags or imilar. On steps the outer cable should be placed as near to the outer edge as possible to avoid icing on the edge. Calculate three cable strands per step.

Adjustment equipment for snow melting is available in various types. You can control the plant with only one thermostat with field and air thermostat or with special snow sensors. Please contact us for a suggestion for the correct equipment. The plant must equipped with fault current relay and marked with weather proof tag plates.

Down Pipes and Gutters - Calc. 30-40W/m²

Standard gutters and down pipes (120mm) are kept free of ice by putting the cable into the down pipe. For wider gutters the cable is placed in loops with 75mm cc-distance. The heating cable is mounted by using a distance holder to have it placed best. The heating cable is fastened in the down pipes by using a gutter hook.

The icing problem occurs at +5°C to -8°C. It is therefore appropriate to contrl the plant with a min/max thermostat or a combined humidity/temperature control. Ask us for advice. The plant must be equipped with a fault current relay and marked with weather proof tag plates.

Frost Protection of Platforms - Calc. 20-25W/m²

Damage to platforms caused by frost in the below ground at winter building activities, can easily be avoided by putting the heating cable directly in the stone free sand layer under the platform and insulate with broken stone in a 150-180mm depth. It is important that the heating cable is directly in touch with permanent installation or insulation. Therefore cover the heating cable with at least 100mm of sand. Minor plants can with the low total electricity consumption be running continuously during the work. At bigger plants an automatic cabinet is recommended. Fault current relay neccessary. At bigger areas several heating cables are combined.

Mounting Instructions for Heating Cables

Prior to mounting, non-tailor made heating cables must be tailor made. For this the termination kit is used. For better heat transmission at plastic pipes or cast-iron pipes, alu-foil, alu-tape or similar are used before the tracing.

Mounting of heating cable on pipes

Laying along the pipe.

If the heating cable is laid along the pipe, it must follow the underside of the pipe and be fixed at each 300mm.

Spiral laying.

If the heating cable is spirally wound around the pipe, this has to be made with regular distance over the entire pipe length to obtain even heat distribution.

Mounting of heating cable on flanges

Before and after flanges, the heating cable must be wound spirally closer.

Please note! rough edges must be deburred or covered by an aluminium plate.

Mounting of heating cable on T-junctions

Normally, each arm on a big T-junction is wound by a separate heating cable.

At shorter T-junctions a single cable is normally laid along one of the sides of the T and returns along the other side to the main pipe line.

Mounting with valves

Extra length heating cables for valves.

To enable the service of the valve the heating cable must be wound across the valve.

Place the heating cable so that the valve can be removed without damaging. This is made by placing the heating cable on the pipe on both sides of the valve, and then letting adequate extra cable hang for the valve. The extra length is fixed in a Z at the bottom of the valve.

Mounting on big valve flanges.

If the valve has a relatively big flange, extra heating cable must be wound once around the edge of the flange.

Mounting on small valves.

If the above mounting is not possible, extra heating cable is placed on each side of the pipe next to the valve or the flange.