Electric Heat Trace Season Is Here

As brisk autumn weather sweeps in, it’s time to start thinking about freeze-prevention strategies for your facility. Auditing your electric heat tracing is an excellent place to start. Are there areas where you need to add additional heat trace wires, or sites that had frosting and freezing issues last year? You know that heat trace is essential to your production as temperatures dip, so it’s best to schedule your replacement or installation before the weather turns.

Heat trace is a durable, time-tested way to prevent freezing in both metal and plastic pipes. Modern heat trace systems have come a long way in the past seventy years. They are now an integral part of temperature maintenance in critical aspects of your facility from fuel lines to processing pipes to emergency showers.

Did you have frosting and freezing issues last year? If so, it’s time to get your maintenance appointment on the books.

Why Heat Trace?

Heat trace is a long-lasting way to prevent equipment damage that can put your operations at a standstill. Frozen, blocked, or burst pipes mean decreases in production. On top of that, burst pipes can cause damage to nearby equipment. Repairing and replacing damaged areas and equipment further degrades your profit on top of your plant or yard shutdown.

Employee safety is greatly enhanced with the judicious placement of heat trace lines. From catwalks to handrails to asphalt, your employees will be able to do their jobs more efficiently and safely in snow and ice-free workspaces. You can even use heat trace for hot water temperature maintenance so that your emergency safety showers are always operational.

Companies like RAYCHEM have been evolving and improving heat tracing for decades, and modern industrial applications are nearly endless. RAYCHEM heat trace systems stop viscous liquids in process pipelines from forming paraffin when they are exposed to cold temperatures. You can install suspension mounted heating for metal stairs, walkways, catwalks, and handrails. Whether you’re an oil and gas yard, parking facility, or a restaurant, you could benefit from heat trace technology.

Self-Regulating Heat Trace

nVent RAYCHEM trace heating cables feature self-regulating technology that takes the burden of temperature management off of your facility. The continuous polymer core expands at high temperatures, which limits the power output of the cable. At low temperatures, there are lots of conductive paths. The higher current increases the temperature inside a pipe with no intervention from your facility staff.

"nVent RAYCHEM trace heating cables feature self-regulating technology that takes the burden of temperature management off of your facility."

RAYCHEM’s self-regulating cables are an especially prudent choice for plastic pipes. The cables control their own power output based on their environment, so they’ll never get hot enough to damage plastic. You can even overlap the cables with no worry of overheating. They’re a great financial investment because properly installed and maintained cables can last for decades.

If energy-use management is important to your facility, self-regulating cables should be a part of your design. The cable’s ability to control its temperature ensures that it reaches an ideal temperature with no wasted energy. Your electrical contractor can also help set up zone controls throughout your facility to make your energy use even more efficient.

Control and Monitoring

System integration allows for accurate control and feedback about your heat trace system. Whether your facility has single-point controls or multi-point, an experienced electrical contractor can integrate your heat trace system for seamless management.

Wetherbee and Electric Heat Tracing

RAYCHEM is an industry leader in heat trace with over 1.75 billion feet of its products installed worldwide in both industrial and residential applications. Wetherbee Electric chooses RAYCHEM for many of its projects because it’s dependable and durable.

Whether or not you had problems with frosting and freezing last year, the time to address your heat trace system is in autumn. Even systems that worked well last year will benefit from an e-trace heating audit to ensure that they’re going to perform how you need them to this season.

Wetherbee will work closely with engineers at your facility to design and install or replace heat trace cables and integrate your control and monitoring programs. Get in touch with Wetherbee to discuss your heat trace needs and schedule your maintenance appointment before the temperatures drop and start to wreak havoc on your facility.