Anti frost heater help!

[Smarky]

Hi Guys,

So I have a couple of porta cabins one with a kitchenette and changing room and one with changing room and toilets.

They seem to be having issues with condensation build up on the walls and ceiling. as well as the pipes bursting during cold snaps.

What would be the best way to approch mitigating this issue?

I was look at anti frost fan heaters that kick in when temp hits 5c . The customer thinks the cost is a little high and said anti frost tubular heaters may do the trick. Im not an expert in climate control and wanted to see if anyone has had to tackle this type of issue and what was the best outcome for them. Another thing ventilation non existent when cabin not in use!

Thanks so much for any help!

Smarky

 

[pirate]

I have installed pipe trace heater cable (not the self-regulating tape type) and it seems to be effective. Basically a pre-made cable with power cord and a thermostat. You use insulating tape to tie the cable along the pipe and put the usual insulation sleeve over that. The stat kicks in at about 3 degrees.

 

[brianmoooore]

Depends on the size of and how well insulated the area to be protected is.
For a large and poorly insulated space it would be impractical and expensive to warm the whole place, so pipe trace heating is the way to go, but this still leaves things like boilers and electric showers at risk.
For a smaller and insulated space then keeping the whole place warm will give better results.

 

[Smarky]

I have installed pipe trace heater cable (not the self-regulating tape type) and it seems to be effective. Basically a pre-made cable with power cord and a thermostat. You use insulating tape to tie the cable along the pipe and put the usual insulation sleeve over that. The stat kicks in at about 3 degrees.

Oh yes I forgot about trace heating with regards to the pipes! Thanks so much for the suggestion great solution for the pipes

 

[Smarky]

Depends on the size of and how well insulated the area to be protected is.
For a large and poorly insulated space it would be impractical and expensive to warm the whole place, so pipe trace heating is the way to go, but this still leaves things like boilers and electric showers at risk.
For a smaller and insulated space then keeping the whole place warm will give better results.

Hi Brian, Thanks for your reply!

The cabin size is 5M x 3M with no insulation! does that seem too big to deal with moisture build up within the cabin with frost protection heaters?

 

[James]

If you have no insulation, heating it will not remove the condensation.

By warming the air a little, you help to dry out any soft furnishings and clothes.
This moisture goes into the air .

When warm moist air hits cold steel, it condenses on the cold plate.

 

[brianmoooore]

When warm moist air hits cold steel, it condenses on the cold plate.

And the warmer that air, the more water it will hold.
Letting out holiday cottages in the winter teaches you a lot about the relationship between warmth, condensation, mould, ventilation and different peoples lifestyles

 

[pirate]

At the Men's Shed venue I do stuff for, we have the pipe trace on our main water supply line which runs round the whole attic space, about 40m in total. This has worked fine so far.
We also have a large garage with some important gear installed. Our remit was to keep it warm enough in really cold weather, and it has no insulation except the double brick walls and concrete slab ceiling. I installed 4 Herschel infrared heating panels on the ceiling, controlled by a simple bluetooth plug-in stat. Currently set at 12C, it keeps the chill off and makes the area ok for working in for short periods. The same heaters in the main building are set at 18C for the workshops and 20C for the social areas.
Keeping an uninsulated area a bit warm will really help your cause.
Not theory, just experience from actually using this system.

 

[mickegh]

Are these in use during the cold snaps ?

Is there no way of maintaining a flow or draining the pipework if not used