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Survey shows disquiet with electric heating

A Venture Development product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Feb 9, 2006

Two-thirds of users of electric heating elements reported having problems, according to a recent study.

Two-thirds of users of electric heating elements reported having problems, according to a recent study by Venture Development Corporation (VDC).

This share is significantly higher than VDC's 2003 study of this market, in which 52% of users cited problems.

The most identified problems were burnout and the operating life of the heating elements.

The next most cited problems were damage to leads and breakage.

Users listed shock, vibration and temperature cycling as common reasons for breakage.

Problems cited by users (ranked in descending order), were: burn out/operating life; damage to leads; breakage; poor quality control; failing electrical connections; not durable; premature failures; hard/impossible to repair; lack of heating uniformity; and units short out.

VDC also asked users for suggestions on how to overcome their problems with electric heating elements.

In rank order, the solutions most identified by users were: better quality control; better designs; better insulation materials; better materials in designs; more attention to specification details; and easier repair.

Other suggestions for overcoming problems included: UL approval, lower power density, replaceable leads, waterproof electrical connections, installation of sensors, heating uniformity analysis, better sealing, more user information and universal power connectors.

"In general, it appears that many of these problems could be prevented with better communication between the user and the vendor of the heating element", say VDC analyst Jake Millette.

"Better technical support on the vendors' side may be required to ensure the proper installation of these units, as well as their use in a proper application".

"Of course, vendors also need to ensure that their products are of the highest quality possible".

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