Category Archives: Snow Melting

New Product Introduction: King Electric SC Series Snow Melt Cable. Custom in-concrete (Sidewalks, Driveways, Stairs, etc.) snow and ice melting cable. 208 or 240 Volts. 35 – 535 Foot Lengths. 12 watts/sq. ft.

SC Series Cable offers a custom in-concrete layout solution to snow and ice build-up, and can be installed to fit any individual application

King Electric SC Series Snow Melt Cable. Custom in-concrete (Sidewalks, Driveways, Stairs, etc.) snow and ice melting cable. 208 or 240 Volts. 35 – 535 Foot Lengths. 12 watts/sq. ft.

https://morelectricheating.com/products/MANUFACTURERS/KING%20ELECTRIC/SC.aspx

Easyheat Commercial Grade Multi-Zone Snow Melting Controls

EasyHeat Commercial Grade Multi-Zone Snow Melting Control.

This commercial grade, multi-sensor snow melting control is capable of monitoring snow and ice accumulation in three separate zones and sending independent control signals to each zone—for example, one signal for the sidewalk, one for the driveway, and one for the gutters and downspouts.

The MSC-1 control is housed in an enclosure suitable for commercial and industrial indoor applications (NEMA 4, 4X). It features an LCD display for programming and indicator lights for operation of each zone. The control signal relays operate external contactors. The MSC-1 controller is UL Listed to US and Canadian Safety Standards.

https://morelectricheating.com/products/SNOW%20AND%20ICE%20MELTING/AUTOMATIC%20CONTROLS%20AND%20SENSORS/EASYHEAT%20SNOW%20CONTROLS.aspx

New Product Introduction: Heat Trak Portable Industrial Snow Melting Entrance Mat


After much success with their residential doormat, HeatTrak has introduced two larger versions for industrial/businesses.

HEATTRAK10131

HCM40-5IB 40in x 5ft Heated Entrance Mat

HeatTrak Industrial Snow Melting Mat – 40 inch x 5 ft – 120 Volt, 612 Watt, 5.1 Amps – 6 foot Power Cord – In Line GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) Safety Device
https://morelectricheating.com/default.aspx?page=item+detail&itemcode=HEATTRAK10131

HCM30-4IB 30in x 4ft Heated Entrance Mat

HeatTrak Industrial Snow Melting Mat – 30 inch x 4 ft – 120 Volt, 384 Watt, 3.2 Amps – 6 foot Power Cord – In Line GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) Safety Device
https://morelectricheating.com/default.aspx?page=item+detail&itemcode=HEATTRAK10130

Wovel is totally out of all models for the rest of the season

Wovel is totally out of all snow shovel models for the rest of the season.  The same thing happened last year.  The amount of snowfall has been so huge the last few years that shovels are in high demand.  We just sold our last 5 Wovels, sorry.

Snow Melting with Infrared Heaters

When selecting a radiant infrared heater you must make sure it has a quartz lamp element when used for a snow melting application (not a quartz tube or metal sheath tubular element due to their higher mass).  This is a sometimes misunderstood aspect of outdoor heating and some consumers miss that there is a distinction between the different types of infrared heaters out there in the market and the intended use for each.
It is best that you leave the calculation of the overall wattage or number of heaters needed for melting of your snow covered areas to one of our sales technicians. This is because every area is different and the parameters you must use to calculate for the correct heat output will vary from application to application.  Please contact one of our qualified technicians when needing help determining correct wattage total, sizing, design style and number of heaters.

The Fostoria Multi-Mount (UL listed for completely exposed/unprotected outdoor applications) is frequently used for snow and ice melting.  They have quartz lamp heaters which are less susceptible to heat loss from wind and they reach high temperatures. The quartz lamps have less mass to hold heat which can be lost to a rise in temperature of the air crossing it.

Solaira Alpha High Output Quartz Infrared Heater is also being used for outdoor snow melting.

Case study on Snow and Ice Melting with Infrared Heaters (prepared by Fostoria, showing a general comparison of using infrared or other types of systems.)

Adhering Roof Clips to a metal roof when using roof & gutter heating cable

SB-1800 Surebond Everflex Bondaprene is commonly used for adhering metal or plastic roof clips to metal roofs only. It is not for shingles (Asphalt). This particular product is recommended by Surebond for roof clips, however the product has to be applied exactly as directed or there can be issues with the clips popping off the roof after the cure while installing the roof and gutter heating cable. Surebond engineers have assured us repeatedly that the SB-1800 is appropriate and the best product for use with all types of roof clips but problems can arise when the customer has not cleaned the roof surface area or the clips very well.

When using the SB-1800 with plastic clips, on occasion there can be a little bit of mold release compound remaining on the outside of the clips (sprayed on the molds in the factory) that can interfere with the adhesion to the Surebond adhesive. This has to be removed by cleaning or sanding off.  Scuffing the smooth surface of the clip is a good practice anyways. If you do not want to sand the surface of every clip then use metal clips.  According to Surebond the SB-1800 has plenty of adhesion strength (360 PSI) to hold roof and gutter heating cable.  SB-1800 cannot be used on a copper roofs.  Clips can also be screwed in place on the roof and SB-1800 also applied as a sealant (apply sealant to screws if screws are used). A tube of Surebond SB-1800 is estimated to be enough to adhere at least 20 roof clips.


APPLICATION:  Interface and surfaces must be clean, dry and free of dust, dirt, oil, frost, moisture and water proofing and release agents.  Can be applied from -20ºF to over 140ºF.

MorElectricHeating.com SB-1800 Product Page
SureBond SB-1800 datasheet
   
Surebond’s other product which can be used with roof clips is the SB-190, but it has a higher air temperature required during installation. It is a stronger adhesive but it is overkill and the higher installation temperature minimum (50 degrees F) make it restrictive on the times of the year that it can be applied especially at the important times of the year such as November and December if it is colder outside than that. It also costs more. However, the stronger adhesive in this product can help overcome the issue of mold release compound remaining on the surface of plastic clips.


MorElectricHeating.com SB-190 Product Page
SureBond SB-190 datasheet

Introducing Nuheat plug-in 13mm self-regulating heating cable kits for roofs/pipes

Nuheat is making a big entry into the Roof and Gutter Heating Cable and Pipe Heating Cable markets and their new cables are robust, high quality and even available as kits as a substitute for EasyHeat‘s outstanding PSR kitsNuheat purchased the US and Canadian distribution rights from Fujikura Ltd. (a company from Japan with sales in excess of $5 Billion annually).  The cable is an outstanding product from a world class manufacturer and brings you the most technologically advanced and stringently manufactured heating cable systems available today.


Nuheat plug-in self-regulating heating cables are designed for residential and commercial roof & gutter de-icing applications. Nuheat plug-in self-regulating heating cables are available in 120V and are installed on roofs and placed inside gutters and downspouts to create and maintain drain paths for water.

Factory assembled with a standard three-prong plug, each cable can simply connect to any grounded 120V receptacle. Installation is easy as the cable’s self-regulating feature allows the heating cable to be overlapped across itself without risk of overheating and/or burnout.

  • Available in 5 / 10 / 15 / 25 / 50 / 75 / 100 foot lengths
  • Produces 13 watts per ft (@ 32°F in ice/snow) and available in 120V. The same 13mm plug-in cable produces 8 watts per foot at 50F when applied to a metal pipe.
  • Suitable for shingles, metal, plastic, tar and wood roofs
  • Self-Regulating Heating Cable Means Energy Efficiency
  • Suitable for metal, plastic and wood gutters/downspouts
  • Simple plug-in feature allows for easy installation (Includes 36” cold lead with a standard 120 Volt Plug)
  • Cable can overlap across itself without risk of overheating and/or burnout for easy installation on roofs and inside gutters and downspouts