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Frequently Asked Questions
What separates the three cable types?
What each does as it gets hot.
Self-regulating cable reduces its own output.
Constant-wattage cable does not moderate at all.
Mineral-insulated is a sheathed high-temperature circuit.
That behaviour drives every other difference.
Cutting, overlapping and control all follow from it.
Why is self-regulating cable the usual default?
It cannot overheat itself.
Output falls as its temperature rises.
It can safely cross over at valves and flanges.
It cuts to length on site.
That suits irregular pipework and site changes.
Installers prefer it for the same reasons.
What does insulation contribute?
More than the cable choice does.
It sets the heat loss the cable must replace.
Poor insulation multiplies the required output.
Wet insulation is worse than none.
Weatherproofing matters outdoors.
Specify insulation and cable together.
Is a controller always needed?
For constant-wattage and mineral-insulated, yes.
They deliver full output regardless of temperature.
Self-regulating cable can run uncontrolled.
Doing so wastes energy continuously.
Control pays back quickly on long circuits.
It also gives monitoring and alarms.
How is the required output calculated?
From heat loss at the design condition.
Pipe size, insulation and minimum ambient set it.
Wind exposure raises it outdoors.
Maintain temperature is the target, not heat-up.
Valves and supports need extra allowance.
Manufacturers publish design software for it.
What is commonly forgotten at design?
Valves, flanges and pipe supports.
They conduct heat away far faster than pipe.
Extra cable is looped at each one.
Supports act as fins into the structure.
Omitting them leaves cold spots that freeze.
Count them during the survey.
What does commissioning have to prove?
Insulation resistance before and after lagging.
Circuit continuity and controller operation.
That sensors are where the drawing says.
Damage during lagging is the common fault.
Record the readings as a baseline.
Retesting later compares against them.