3.2 Selection of pipe trace heating
• Measure the length and diameter of the piping.
• The cable shall not be more than 600 mm shorter than the pipe and shall not
be longer than the pipe.
• Select the insulation to be fitted over the heating cable and the pipe. The insulation
shall not be thicker than 13 mm. Foam or mineral wool insulation can be used.
However, ensure that the insulation used is fireproof.
4. Installation and commissioning
4.1 Installation – gutters and downpipes
Preparing the gutters and heating cable:
1. Ensure that the area around the gutter is feely accessible and that there are no sharp
edges or easily flammable materials present (in order to reduce the risk of damaging
the cable and adjoining areas as much as possible).
2. Clean all flammable materials such as foliage, refuse, litter etc. out of all gutters and
downpipes.
3. Remove sharp edges or fit protection.
4. Earth all metallic parts of the installation.
For safety reasons, earth metal guttering, metal conduits and sheathing before
laying. Ensure that all metal parts are earthed before starting with the installation.
The conductivity of the complete system must be checked and any additional eart-
hing connections required must be established.
Allow the heating cable to warm up to room temperature before starting with the
installation.
5. Check the continuity, the resistance and the insulation resistance of the frost protec-
tion heating cable before starting with the installation and also after the installation,
and always before connecting the mains plug. The resistance value must match with
the value on the product label before and after installation. A tolerance of -5% to
+10% is permitted. The insulation resistance must be greater than 10 MOhm.
(See: Table 1)
6. Before installation, roll the heating cable out on the floor and arrange it on the floor in
the same way as it is to be subsequently installed in the gutter/downpipes.
