Heat Mat Snow Melting System For The NEC
The UK has experienced particularly cold and snowy winters in recent years and snow build up on warehouse and factory roofs has caused a major headache for some businesses. In the last four years in the North East of England a number of factory and warehouse roofs have been damaged or been assessed as at risk of collapsing due to the excess weight of snow, and this has led to businesses having to evacuate their premises until they are deemed safe. Heat Mat is a specialist supplier of Scandinavian designed ice and snow melting systems that are designed to prevent excess ice and snow build up by using strategically positioned electric heating cables in gutters and downpipes to ensure the smooth flow of melt water. For large flat roofs Heat Mat also supplies snow melting systems that cover the entire roof to prevent snow build-up and these are controlled automatically by specialist thermostats with temperature and moisture sensors. Recently one of the largest snow melting systems Heat Mat has supplied has been installed by Selectrical Services Leeds to protect the roof of the LG Arena at the Birmingham NEC. Comprising around 12km of heating cable and covering 1,200m2 the system is designed to prevent significant amounts of snow building up on top of the roof by automatically ensuring falling snow is melted and the melt water can safely flow away. Although systems of this size present a number of technical issues, by working with our partners in Denmark we were able to come up with a cost effective system specification with fully automated controls. Selectrical Services Leeds used their previous experience installing snow melting systems to ensure the project ran smoothly and will ensure the roof remains safe from excess snow build up over the next twenty years. Gutter and downpipe heating system have been popular for many years as they prevent dangerous ice build-up which can harm people and properties. The recent cold winters have ensured that there has been a significant amount of interest in snow melting systems for roofs, driveways and walkways and even though most parts of the UK experienced less snow in the winter 2011/12 than in previous years interest has continued unabated.