Best way to heat overhead trough

[BrianLorenzen]

Looking for ideas on best way to heat my overhead trough at a six bay self serve car wash.

trying to get open quickly and I don’t have boilers (yet). Heat tape/trace? Other ideas?

 

[Dan-Ark]

I use easy heat heat cable. no problems last winter, it was a mile winter. I have 2 bays and an automatic running through an insulated trough on the roof and 2 bays using 3" sewer pipe running under the roof in the high bays with heat cable I run it out and around the manifold blocks above the booms and weepmizer to manage the weep solenoid. Doing the same in our new wash.

 

[BrianLorenzen]

I use easy heat heat cable. no problems last winter, it was a mile winter. I have 2 bays and an automatic running through an insulated trough on the roof and 2 bays using 3" sewer pipe running under the roof in the high bays with heat cable I run it out and around the manifold blocks above the booms and weepmizer to manage the weep solenoid. Doing the same in our new wash.

searched easy heat cable and found something different than Home Depot/Lowe’s. Is this what you use? https://www.supplyhouse.com/Easy-He...MImpb6otHs5gIVyrzACh1VbQFVEAQYAiABEgKJMfD_BwE

and thank you for the tip!

 

[JGinther]

Make sure to keep distance from any plastic lines! Many times I have seen melted poly lines in roof troughs from using high temperature heat tape.

 

[mjwalsh]

We use I believe a self regulating heat cable for a gutter that had & still could have a problematic thaw=>freeze=>heave small 20' length-wise metal roof. I have never just left it on auto control below +10° or so because of fear of too high of an electric bill from it. When it comes to you guys without overhead doors .... blowing out lines during extended cold periods may make sense for some tubing-hose troughs.

For those who never blow out lines ... do you ever squirm when you see the electric bill from the heat cable??? Anybody put a kill-o-watt meter to see specifically how much more you are paying for the electricity on the specific outlet the cable is plugged into?

 

[Dan-Ark]

I didn't have any problems melting the poly lines in the 3 inch sewer PVC, maybe I got lucke? Here is what I used. the trough on the roof was already set up with this same stuff, I added it to the high bays: www.kleen-ritecorp.com/p-29219-easyheat-freeze-free-cable.aspx

 

[Earl Weiss]

Went with heat cable a couple years ago . Got it from Zoro, commercial grade. Tied to output 2 on the weep mixer - needs a relay. Seems to do a lot better and is simpler than a hot water / AF loop I was using. Forgot the brand recommended on the forum but it is not the big box comsumer grade.

 

[washallday]

I use my heated presoak on my handbay pump station. I have a pump hooked to thermostat that comes on and a line that runs up into my insulated trough in attic.

 

[soapy]

I use Raytheon winter guard wet self regulating heat cable. 25 years no problems. It has extra layer of insulation.