Pallet Freeze Protection Archives

Heating Cold Patch Asphalt Materials

Are you in the asphalt business in need of asphalt material warming, or some other industry where you need potable, easy-to-use product heating? Do you need temperature maintenance for sensitive materials? Whatever the case may be, the Powerblanket Hot Box can help you prep your materials for application or warm your product to the ideal temperature.

Case Study: Hot Box in the Frozen North

Time and again, Powerblanket’s Hot Box has been the saving grace of cold weather construction projects. One of our favorite examples to share is that of Vern Fiehler, owner of Quick Road Repair in Alaska, and it has to do with heating cold patch asphalt, and asphalt material warming.

Juneau International Airport. Image from Wikipedia.

A Product to Prove

Roadway repair is especially troublesome in cold climates. Hot asphalt needs to be prepped to temperatures near 300° F. Air temperature and ground temperature needs to be at least above 50° F in order to properly set. Pavement that cools too quickly will harden without achieving the required density needed to support the weight of trucks and airplanes. Keeping asphalt hot while preparing the ground for laying is critical to making this all happen.

Obviously, this is a significant challenge anytime of the year in Alaska. With temperatures staying low at night even in summer, there isn’t a perfect time to pave asphalt and make other road repairs without using additional heating equipment.

Vern had planned on introducing a specialized asphalt repair product, known as Instant Road Repair (IRR), to officials at the Juneau Alaska International Airport. IRR needs to be warmed up to working temperature before it could be applied to roadway issues such as filling potholes and patching cracked street pavement. Unfortunately, his previous method of heating the product was very inefficient, causing Vern to be stuck with cold asphalt. The IRR wasn’t being kept at a sufficient temperature for it to become effective at repairing asphalt roadways and runways.

When Vern met with the field maintenance crew of the airport in order to demonstrate IRR, what happened was nothing short of disastrous.

Embarrassed Much?

For the demonstration, Vern needed to heat IRR. He used a forced-air, ceramic heater to do this. However, the product didn’t perform well at all during the demonstration. Ceramic heaters can be unreliable when you need them to maintain a specific temperature. The air being blown over heating coils within the ceramic heater can’t be controlled as strict as Vern needed it to be. He discovered this fact when he learned that the IRR failed due to overheating. In fact, the product overheated 40° F past its maximum workable temperature. This ultimately cost him a whole pallet of his product and the embarrassment he experienced in front of the airport staff.

Vern’s product wasn’t the problem. And his IRR wasn’t the thing to blame for this untimely setback. Instead, the culprit was merely an unreliable heating solution. The ceramic heater just wasn’t cutting it. Vern needed something that he could have complete say in what temperature his IRR was being held at. No more using fans to blow air over a heat element.

Hot Box to the Rescue

Enter Powerblanket’s Hot Box, which provides even, consistent heat to material no matter how cold the weather. Vern’s IRR was kept at a stable temperature well within its efficiency range, allowing him to finish the airport runway repairs and reconstruct his professional reputation as an asphalt repair business.

Since then, Vern uses the Powerblanket Hot Box for efficient and regulated heating of Instant Road Repair, and continues to keep materials warm when the outdoor air temperature isn’t cooperating.

Stand Up to the Cold with a Hot Box

The Hot Box: a bulk material warmer that is part of the innovative line of Eco-Friendly heating solutions. With the Hot Box, you have a heating solution for remote-location use, job-site heating, transporting temperature-sensitive material, and many other heat-related requirements.

The Powerblanket Hot Box can save you money and time by keeping your products from experiencing the detrimental side effects of cold weather. However, the Hot Box can also bring your product up to working conditions, when you require temperatures above the ambient degrees.

Powerblanket Protects You from Cold

Like all of Powerblanket’s industrial heating blankets, the Hot Box is extremely user friendly. With no moving parts, it can be easily assembled, disassembled, and reassembled within minutes, making it the ideal answer for cold weather storage, freeze protection, job-site heating, remote location use, and many other situations. For power, all that is needed is for an employee to plug it in to any electrical outlet. It’s so simple.

Hot Box Features:

Preserve temperature sensitive material
Install quickly and effortlessly
Heat bulk materials and palletized products: paint, caulk, resins and epoxies, etc.
Side access doors
Certified to UL/CSA/CE standards

Hot Boxes come in three performance levels: Lite, Standard, and Premium. Each unit will maintain temperatures between 100° F and 120° F. With Premium Hot Boxes, you have the option of adding an adjustable thermostatic controller, enabling more precise temperature control.

Don’t be left out in the cold without a hot box. Like Vern, construction and repair professionals all across North America rely on hot boxes to keep going when the weather chills out other heating equipment. Use hot boxes to ensure that all of your temperature sensitive materials stay heated, keeping you and your business operating at full efficiency.

For more information on how Powerblanket can meet your temperature control needs, call 855.647.8978 or email [email protected].

The Powerblanket Hot Box is the perfect solution for your bulk material heating needs.

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Shelby Thompson

Shelby Thompson is the head of standard product sales for Powerblanket. He has a distinguished military career, having served in both Afghanistan and Iraq. In his time in the Marines, Shelby acquired an impressive skillset that he now uses in his current role. When he's not working, Shelby loves spending time outdoors with his wife, son, and daughter. He is also a semi-keen hunter, fair weather fisherman, and shooter. Unfortunately, Shelby also has something of an unlucky streak when it comes to Fantasy Football at the company.

What is Powerblanket?

Welcome To Powerblanket

The Powerblanket family began our journey back in 2005. Since then, our patented, American-made temperature control products have solidified our expertise the industrial heating and cooling community. We excel at helping the industrial and manufacturing community get back to work.

With our ever-expanding range of customizable heating during the winter, and cooling during the summer, Powerblanket helps businesses stay operational year-round. By finding new ways to remove temperature roadblocks, Powerblanket empowers companies to preserve workplace safety, prolong equipment life, prepare for emergencies, and get back to work.

Industrial Heating from Powerblanket

We are the leading provider of standard and custom-designed industrial heating blankets. No matter what industry you’re in, Powerblanket can help you improve your business. We have created custom heating solutions for companies all over the world. Our blankets are extremely versatile and can be used across a wide variety of industries.

If you can build it, haul it, or store it…we can heat it. Because pre-fabricated options are not always a good fit, our engineers are at the ready to create tailor made heating to spec. We specialize in engineering custom solutions for even the trickiest of heating problems. Powerblanket has the quickest lead time in the market for custom products. First, our world-class engineering team learns your specific heating needs. Next, we provide you with your custom quote within 1-3 days. Then, we deliver your custom heating products within 3 weeks.

How Our Products Work

Our heating blankets save you time, energy, and money by putting the heat precisely where it is needed. After a simple installation, you are now harnessing the power of conduction and heating your materials with direct and even heat. Our advanced weather-proof insulation provides a protective barrier from the elements and reduces heat loss. We then combine insulation with efficient heating elements to direct heat downward right into the item that needs heating instead of losing it to the ambient air.

Powerblanket Product Families

Barrel and Bucket Heaters

Protect your fluid storage during the winter with a wide range of drum, barrel, and bucket heaters. Direct, evenly distributed heat eliminates hot and colds spots, solves viscosity issues, and prevent your fluids from freezing. We also provide a range of specially calibrated blankets for coconut oil, honey, and wax. These blankets are programmed to stay within the exact temperatures these specific fluids need.

Tote and DEF Tote Heaters

For larger volume industrial fluids, these specially designed tote heating blankets are perfectly sized and shaped for steel, poly, and DEF totes. Our tote heaters protect the chemical composition of your fluids while still giving you pump access during winter conditions.

Gas Cylinder Heaters

When gas tanks drop in temperature, the pressure of their contents drops as well. As a result, it very difficult to get any gas flow from a tank during the winter. Gas cylinder warmers evenly and safely heat the cylinder so that flow rate increases and operations can continue running.

Bulk Material Heaters

How do you heat multiple containers of all shapes and sizes, or bulky pallets of materials? Hot box bulk material warmers provide even heating to anything stored within.

Ground Thawing Blankets

Frozen ground can bring a number of industries to a full halt during the winter. During sub-freezing temperatures, our high powered ground thaw blankets direct heat deep into the frost line to prep ground for digging, utility work, concrete pouring, and more.

Concrete Curing Blankets

Winter concreting is notoriously difficult. Construction heating can have a huge impact on jobs, deadlines, and the overall bottomline. From roofing, to spray foam, painting, and concrete, so many aspects are affected by the weather. Curing problems can derail entire construction projects and cause costly delays. Our concrete curing blankets provide heat, insulation, and cure concrete 2.8x faster than conventional insulation blankets. Electric concrete blankets are hands down the most efficient solution for strong and fast winter concrete curing.

Snow Melting Safety Mats

Free your hands and your time during the winter by setting your snow shovel aside. Simply lay down our Summerstep snow and ice melting mats on your doorway, stairs, and walkways. In addition, Summerstep mats provide traction and reduce injuries from slips and falls all winter long.

Smart Controllers

For an added level of control and automation, our Beacon Smart Controllers put temperature control at your fingertips. With the user friendly app, you have access to continuous remote temperature monitoring. You can also set heating schedules and receive temperature alerts right from your phone or tablet.

Industrial Cooling from North Slope Chillers

Our North Slope Chillers line represents the flip-side of our total temperature control expertise. Our industrial chillers, Fluxwrap fluid channel blankets, Keg Coolers, and Ice Wraps provide the perfect cooling solutions for when the heat is high.

Total Temperature Control

When your business feels the sting of wasted revenue through equipment damage, product loss, or the financial crunch of the “off season” due to unworkable climate conditions, Powerblanket has the solution. With Powerblanket, there is no “off season.” Contact us to find the perfect temperature control solutions to keep your work flowing at 855.993.6294 or [email protected].

Curious to see how Powerblanket can meet the unique needs of your industry?

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James Rogers

James is our digital marketing expert who has worked in the marketing field for over 15 years. When not writing blog posts or newsletters, James is geeking out over all things SEO and SEM. He is a husband and a father of four. In his spare time, he enjoys woodworking, hiking, and hanging out with his family.