Trace Heating
Heat Mat Trace Heating Systems
Focused heat to prevent water pipes and gutters from freezing and to maintain process temperatures
Trace Heating cables provide focused and controllable heat to prevent pipes and gutters from freezing, or to maintain process temperatures. The major benefits of Trace heating are that the specialist cables 'self regulate' their temperature so they cannot overheat, and they can also be cut to length during installation to ensure the perfect fit, every time.
Heat Mat supply a wide variety of high quality European manufactured Trace Heating cables suitable for the vast majority of applications. These heating cables are backed up by a comprehensive range of Trace Heating, ice & snow melting thermostats and wiring accessories.
- Frost protection of water pipes and condensate/drainage pipes
- Maintain process temperatures
- Ice and snow melting on roofs and in gutters
- Ice prevention in downpipes and waste pipes
- Temperature maintenance of air ducts extracting dust or of containers for dry food to prevent condensation build up and blockages
- A wide variety of cable types and outputs to satisfy various applications
- Standard range from 12W to 28W per meter
- High quality junction boxes and thermostats provide a comprehensive and fast to install system
Trace Heating Technical Specification
| TRA-20A-STAT | Industrial 20Amp trace heating thermostat with NTC temperature sensor |
|---|---|
| TRA-13A-STAT | Plugin 13Amp thermostat with air or pipe temperature sensor and dual plug extension lead |
| TRA-20A-GLFB | Glass fibre fixing tape 50m x 25mm |
| TRA-087-MBRK | On-pipe mounting bracket for junction boxes |
| TRA-125-MBRK | On-pipe mounting bracket for 20Amp thermostat |
| TRA-JUN-BUDG | Budget T-piece junction box |
| TRA-JUN-PREM | Premium IP65 rated T-piece junction box |
| Maximum Length of heating cable at minimum start up temperatures: | |||||
| Product Code | Circuit Breaker | +10°C | 0°C | -15°C | -25°C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACC-CAB-EX12 | 10A | 118m | 109m | 90m | 79m |
| 16A | 154m | 154m | 139m | 118m | |
| ACC-CAB-EX17 | 10A | 104m | 95m | 78m | 70m |
| 16A | 139m | 139m | 122m | 113m | |
| ACC-CAB-EX23 | 10A | 79m | 73m | 62m | 57m |
| 16A | 116m | 113m | 97m | 89m | |
| ACC-CAB-EX28 | 10A | 60m | 51m | 45m | 42m |
| 16A | 100m | 86m | 72m | 65m | |
We supply a large range of trace heating cables which have unique characteristics and technical specifications. Please contact us for details of the technical specifications of the trace heating cable you are considering.
Intelligent cables
Trace Heating cables are significantly more intelligent than 'standard' heating cables. They are created by placing a self-regulating heating element between two bus wires, one live and one neutral. When power is connected to these bus wires the heating element receives 230V, causing it to heat up. Each element contains specialist compounds that change their resistance depending on their temperature, which leads to the power output of the heating element falling as the cable gets warmer.
Targeted heat
Trace Heating cables vary their output centimetre by centimetre along the cable depending on the temperature of the self-regulating heating element. If you used a 17W/lm Trace Heating cable to protect a twenty meter long water pipe, and half of the pipe was indoors and insulated, and half was outdoors and un-insulated, the cable on the two different sections would react very differently. The heating cable on the indoor section would quickly warm up to perhaps 20oC, and its output would fall to around 8W per meter as it does not need to heat as much to maintain the pipes temperature. If it is very cold outside the cable there may never be able to heat the pipe above 5oC, and the cable will therefore maintain its output at 17W per meter, as this is the amount of energy it needs to use to protect the pipe from freezing. It is this clever feature that makes Trace Heating such a versatile product. Being able to vary its output centimetre by centimetre along its length depending on local temperature conditions is an incredibly useful feature.
Finding the correct cable for the application
The relationship between the temperature of the element and its Wattage output is set in the factory and can not be changed once the cable has been produced. It is important to choose the correct heating cable for a project to ensure the system runs in the most energy efficient manner possible, however it is also possible to run more than one cable along a pipe, or to spiral the cable around the pipe to obtain the desired output.
Protection from overheating cables
As the Trace Heating cables lower their Wattage output as they heat up, in normal circumstances the cables can be crossed over on top of each other and there is no chance that they will burn out or overheat. This allows particularly cold areas such as taps, joints or tanks to have multiple layers of Trace Heating without risking damaged cables, in direct contrast to constant Wattage heating cables which can not be crossed over without risking damage.
Ready-made trace heating lengths
In addition to cut to length Trace Heating Heat Mat offer pre-made lengths of 11W/lm heating cable suitable for use within pressured water pipes to prevent them from freezing. The lengths benefit from having a coldtail lead and final termination made in the factory which saves on installation time, and can be introduced into the pipe via a specialist brass gland. These units can also be used to protect boiler condensate pipes from freezing.
Thermostats and junction boxes
Heat Mat supply a wide variety of thermostats and junction boxes designed for use with cut to length Trace Heating. These items are all supplied with IP65 rated enclosures to resist moisture ingress and they can be supplied with metal brackets to affix them on top of pipes.
Trace Heating System Features
- A wide variety of high quality Trace Heating cables and thermostats suitable for protecting water pipes and vessels from freezing conditions
- Cables are suitable for protecting fire sprinkler systems from freezing
- Can be used in gutters and on roofs to prevent ice and snow build up
- Trace Heating cable systems for maintaining process temperatures in manufacturing plants
- EX approved heating cables for use in hazardous areas
- Choice of aluminium shielded cables, for speedy installation, or braided earth shield cables, for hazardous areas
- Cables are supplied by the meter and can be cut to length on site, minimising wastage
- Ready made units for internal use within water pipes
- IP65 rated junction boxes and thermostats
- Innovative products, such as silicon termination kits to allow installation of cables on sites where no heat sources are allowed
Compatible with:
Ice & Snow Thermostats
In-screed Cable
Trace Heat
Heat Mat Ice and Snow
Prevention is better
than cure
If you are worried about the coming winter and want to speak to a Heat Mat advisor about the best solutions for you call us on:
