TEAM METAFORE | Real Estate Investing Tips

Many businesses and institutions utilise external aerials, satellite dishes and other precision communications equipment as an essential part of their daily operations. So keeping them free of ice and snow during the winter months can be a crucial concern.

TV and Radio broadcasters, airports and scientific research centres are amongst those who have inevitably invested heavily in communication equipment which must, by its nature, be located outside. Unfortunately this leaves them particularly vulnerable to problems caused by freezing weather. So what solutions are available to protect that investment and ensure full operability during the winter?

How trace heating can help

Trace heating is an ideal solution for keeping all manner of aerials, satellite dishes and communication arrays free of ice and snow, even on the coldest days.

In essence, trace heating consists of one or more flexible cables, which can be affixed to the instrument that requires protection against ice, frost or snow build-up. A trace heating cable is relatively simple, but surprisingly effective – it contains within it an electrical heating element to generate the heat required, and an inbuilt thermostat to regulate the cable as needed.

Simple to install, effective to use

Trace heating can be run along an aerial in a manner that does not interfere with its ability to receive or transmit, and in the cases of satellite dishes, a trace heating cable can simply be laid out across the back of the dish. The thermostat within can be set to kick in whenever the temperature drops below a certain level, thus heating the cable and the communications equipment it is attached to. This is a particularly cost-effective and energy-efficient way of ensuring unbroken reception and transmission during winter, as the heating element is only active when needed.

Heating mats work on a similar principle, but contain a number of cables within a self-contained package that can also be suitable for defrosting satellite dishes.

Trace heating is invaluable for keeping communications equipment ice and frost free but it has a variety of other applications too, including use as electric underfloor heating, preventing pipes from freezing and maintaining specific temperatures during industrial processes.