Frost protection trace heating is essential for preventing pipes and vessels from freezing, particularly in unheated or outdoor areas during cold temperatures. The use of trace heating cables helps maintain pipe temperatures by compensating for heat loss, thereby reducing the risk of pipe damage due to crystallization and expansion of frozen water. Various types of heating tapes, including constant wattage and self-regulating options, are available to suit different applications and user preferences.

1. Frost Protection
Trace Heating

2. When is frost protection
trace heating required?
Every pipe and vessel will experience heat loss when
its temperature is greater than the surrounding ambient
temperature. When subjected to low ambient or
freezing temperatures this heat loss can cause the
contents to crystallise and freeze.
For example, most water pipes are located either
outside or in unheated internal areas, where in winter
months the ambient temperature may drop below its
freezing point. When water freezes, it expands and this
expansion can cause a lot of problems to the pipework.

3. Water Pipework
- external &
unheated
internal areas
Building
Services
Pipework
Fire Sprinkler
Pipes
Surface Heating
to Vessels &
Tanks
Typical frost protection
applications…

4. Why install frost protection
trace heating cable?
If the contents of a pipe is allowed to crystallise and freeze this can cause the pipework to burst, leading
to considerable damage, disruption and expense.
Thermal insulation reduces the rate of heat loss but
does not eliminate it. In order to minimise the effects of
heat loss, frost protection trace heating is used to
supply a heat source to replace this heat loss and
therefore maintain the pipe temperature.
Typically in pipe frost protection, an air sensing trace
heating thermostat is used to sense the ambient air
temperature. This energises the freeze protection
heating cable when the temperature gets below a set
point usually around +3°C to +5°C.

5. Did you know?
A gallon of water, when frozen, will expand to a volume
9% greater than the original gallon!

6. ESH frost protection
trace heating tape…
Both constant wattage heating tape and self
regulating heating tape systems perform
excellently for use within frost protection
applications.
Engineers & installers using trace heating will
always have their own preferences as to the
type of tape to use. This is why at ESH we
offer a comprehensive range of both constant
wattage and self regulating heating tapes to
allow the end user to utilise the system that
best suits their application and personal
preference.

7. If you have specific design requirement or
need advice on you present or future trace
heating applications, please contact ESH
Trace Heating Ltd