A fire on the plating lines is always a disaster, but one that can be avoided by taking the proper precautions. One of the most common causes of these fires is electrical heaters, which often set fire to plastic tanks because of a drop in the solution level.

A common misconception is that the thermostat will stop the heater. However, this is not the case. Why doesn't the thermostat stop the heater? It’s because the thermostat relies on the liquid to transfer heat from the heater to the probe/sensor. If there is a sudden loss of liquid and the sensor is no longer covered by the liquid, then no heat is transferred. The thermostat detects this as a drop in temperature and keeps the heater operating. With no liquid to transfer heat away from the heating element it begins to overheat and sets the plastic tank on fire.

Very few plating tanks have low level devices controlling their heaters to detect a drop in solution. We can provide the right thermal protection fuses for your heaters. Our over-temp protectors utilize a heat sensitive fuse to detect overheat conditions. The protector, which is placed inside a thermowell, is positioned in contact with the heater sheath and will cut power to the heater in the event of low liquid level. When combined with the technology of our liquid level sensor, you can further eliminate this danger.

We have an impressive catalog of both heaters and controllers at Plating International, so reach out to one of our representatives for a quote today, and find out what heater set-up best suits your needs! #surfacetreatment #heaters #worksafety #firesafety #OSHA