Question about water pipe tracer cables

[TC101]

I recently had to remove some cables to allow a roof of a building to be removed and recontructed. Some of the cables I removed were tracer cables running inside the lagging on water pipes. I have now been asked to re-instate them. I have never had anything to do with these things in the past and I assumed that a heating engineer would be brought in to re-connect them. And that may well be my advice to the customer.

I assume that the purpose of the tracer cables is to monitor the temperature of the pipes and if it drops to bring on the heating system so I assume they are connected to a thermostat or programmer. Even if I re-instate them I have no idea how to test them. A brief description of how the circuit works would help if someone has had some experience of these things. Cheers, Terry.

 

[Doc Hudson]

Any of these links any good? The RS components link has further data sheet links you can read.

Doc H.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trace_heating

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index/Cable_Index/Heat_Tape/index.html?source=adwords&kw=heat+tape&gclid=CK-7jMLL5aYCFYMTfAodKDPO5w

http://uk.rs-online.com/web/0256244.html

 

[SteveT]

Tracer cable - do you mean the single core blue wire attached to the length of plastic water/CH pipes - if so these are there just so a metal detector can pick up the run of the hidden pipe for trades coming along after. There is no circuitry or connections- just a length of wire.

if not - ignore this reply - only trying to help

 

[TC101]

I will re-check exactly what the cable conscist of and come back to this question, but thanks for your reply anyway, Terry

 

[Sidewinder]

Probably trace heating especially if there are 2 cores.

Normally double insulated.

Have a thermostat somewhere to turn them on & a thermal overload somewhere to turn them off IF the thermostat fails.

They are like along thin electric bar fire that just heats the pipework.

They are meant to be lagged over and all tied in place.

If the cable has a "lump" in the end it is probably the 'stat which needs to be oriented properly against the pipe.

Did a domestic one of these a few weeks ago, quite unusual, but not for the stuff I do unfortunately!

Some are self regulating.

Others are not!

IF you disconnected them then hipefully ( ) you remember how the bits were oriented & connected?

If so stick them back as you found them.

There are certain schools of though that feel that danger notices wrt trace heating are required.

That would be down to either your or your customers RA.

 

[TC101]

The links supplied by Doc Hudson are also very informative, many thanks. I now know something about the subject, Regards Terry.

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

The links supplied by Doc Hudson are also very informative, many thanks. I now know something about the subject, Regards Terry.

As long as you know more than your customer then you are "THE EXPERT" !!!!!

:^O :slap

Its when the customer knows more than you that you need to start worrying! :|

Let us know what more you find when you go back.

Guinness

 

[TC101]

When I posted the question about water pipe tracer cables I knew nothing about the subject.

The feed back I got gave me enough information to look into it properly. It is a heating element run along the water pipes controlled by a thermostat to stop the pipes freezing in cold weather as there is no heating in the premises. Armed with this knowledge I was able to inspect the installation and establish that some of the cables were missing and that it had not been in use for some time as the mains supply had been disconnected for some time and that the system was not in use. So that solved my problem. I think that this is a great forum and once again it has proved its usefulness to people on uncertain ground. Great job lads and thanks a bunch.Terry

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

When I posted the question about water pipe tracer cables I knew nothing about the subject. ....I think that this is a great forum and once again it has proved its usefulness to people on uncertain ground. Great job lads and thanks a bunch.Terry

Too bl00dy right this is a great forum!!!GuinnessGuinnessGuinnessGuinness