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| High temperature tape (left) and moisture & chemical resistant tape (right). |
Heating tapes are easy-to-use, ideal for a wide range of thermal applications, and inexpensive. This article will provide simple installation tips to improve your heating tape product life, application performance, and most importantly, your safety.
Why Heating Tapes?
Heating tapes offer many advantages for solving a wide range of gas, liquid, and solid heating applications.
Advantages:
- Flexibility: Easily installs directly to a wide variety of surfaces and geometries (i.e. 1/4” diameter or larger piping, glassware, valves, reactors, chambers, etc.)
- Rapid and uniform heat-up due to high watt densities and user-configurable installations
- High temperature ranges
- Easily controlled with standard temperature controlling devices
- Variety of sizes, wattages, temperature ranges, and styles available to meet your exact heating requirements
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| Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions while installing or removing heating tape. |
Step 1: Preparation
Prepare surface to be heated: Wipe the surface making sure there is no foreign material, like liquid, on the surface. Foreign material inhibits heat transfer and liquid can damage select models of heating tape (i.e. High-Temperature Heating Tapes).
Make a visual inspection of heating tape: We recommend that you replace the heating tape if it becomes torn or damaged. Damaged heating tape is a safety hazard and will not operate correctly.
Selecting the Proper Heating Tape
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| Figure B |
Selection of your tape depends on:
- Length, diameter, and configuration of the surface to be heated
- Required temperature
- Required wattage
- Environmental conditions (i.e. likelihood heating tape will come into contact with moisture or chemicals)
Step 2: Installing your Heating Tape
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| Figure C |
Heating tape can be installed on nearly any surface due to its flexibility. Spiral wrap the heating tape onto the surface to be heated so that the length of one entire side of the heating tape is in full contact with the surface (Figure B). The distance between spiral wraps is dependent on the uniformity requirements and the amount of available heating tape. A minimum distance of 1/8” is required between spiral wraps to avoid damage to the heating tape.
Attach the heating tape to the surface by either using built-in tie straps (Figure C), high-temperature adhesive tape (Figure D), or mechanical clamping devices that will not cause damage to the heating tape.
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| Figure D |
Ensure the heating tape is not kinked, twisted, or hanging free from the surface (Figure E and F). Do not overlap heating tape on itself (Figure G). This can cause damage to the heating tape due to overheating.
Do's
- Make sure you have selected the correct heating tape for your application. BriskHeat offers a wide range of sizes, voltages, and temperature ranges.
- Visually check your heating tape prior to use.
- Make sure that the heating tape makes full contact with the surface to be heated.
- Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions while installing or removing heating tape.
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| Don't kink or overlap, apply without control, apply over insulation, never use near flammable materials, do not submerge, and do not use if tape is cut or damaged. |
- Do not overlap the heating tape over itself
- Do not use heating tape without a controlling device
- Do not install heating tape on top of insulation near flammable materials, submerged in liquids, or if cut in any way.
For more information about heat tapes, or any industrial heating application, contact Alliance Technical Sales by calling 630-321-9646 or by visiting https://alliancets.com.
