Five Essential Steps to Winter Readiness
Prepare Your Facility for Winter
While winter may seem distant, proactive preparation is crucial to prevent costly disruptions in your facility’s operations. With over 15 years of experience in heat trace systems, EHT Group is dedicated to ensuring your infrastructure is winter-ready and efficiently maintained.
Common Challenges Addressed
Despite significant investments in heat trace systems, many facilities still encounter issues such as pipeline bursts and heightened seasonal preparation efforts each winter.
Five Essential Steps to Winter Readiness
- Conduct a Simple Programming Audit 1-2 Times a Year
Regular audits of your heat trace controller programming are essential to identifying potential failures early. Using monitoring software like SmartTrace™ Monitoring simplifies this process, allowing you to swiftly review and adjust settings crucial for system reliability. Look for:
- Maintained temperature settings
- Low and high temperature alarms
- Ground fault settings
- Circuit enable status
- Auto cycle settings
- Assess Forced-On Heat Trace Circuits
Identify circuits that remain unnecessarily forced-on year-round, which can lead to significant energy savings and extend the lifespan of your heat trace cables. Investigate reasons for forced-on status, such as installation or design flaws, to prevent future issues. Steps include:
- Reviewing the forced-on circuit list
- Conducting a programming audit to identify and rectify forced-on circuits
- Scheduling field assessments to investigate root causes like installation failures or insulation deficiencies
- Monitor Heat Tracing During Warmer Months
Regularly monitor heat trace alarms and conduct field assessments during milder weather to proactively address any issues before they impact operations in colder months. This approach helps:
- Identify potential failures early
- Minimize downtime and repair costs during peak winter periods
- Optimize system performance and energy efficiency
- Conduct Panel Audits
Panel audits are crucial for preventive maintenance. Perform detailed inspections to:
- Retorque all terminations to ensure secure connections
- Conduct visual inspections for signs of overheating on terminal blocks, lugs, and relays; infrared cameras are beneficial for this
- Investigate any locked-out circuits or forgotten alarms
- Clean and organize panels to enhance accessibility and safety
- Inspect Insulation
Effective insulation is vital for maintaining heat trace effectiveness. Regularly inspect insulation across your facility to:
- Ensure all heat-traced lines are adequately insulated
- Identify and replace missing or damaged insulation
- Address issues such as wet or incorrect insulation types that can compromise system performance
Partner with EHT Group for Peace of Mind
At EHT Group, our mission is to minimize heat tracing challenges, enabling you to focus on efficient facility operations. Implement these detailed steps to proactively manage your heat trace system and confidently prepare for winter.
Learn More and Stay Prepared
Download our comprehensive guide for detailed insights on implementing these steps and ensuring your facility is fully prepared for winter. For personalized assistance or further inquiries, contact our heat trace experts today.
Prepare your facility now to avoid unnecessary maintenance costs and operational disruptions. Let EHT Group support your winter readiness efforts with our proven heat trace solutions.
