ice-melting heaters for steel fire escape?

Eli

Hey, that's actually not that bad an idea! I could pipe a loop under each stair and circulate water/antifreeze. I could run the water through a heat exchanger located in or around the boiler vent, just scavange heat that's going up the chimney anyway.

Does anyone think this could work?

Eli

Eli

Not exactly on topic but...

I've been looking for some kind of heating wires/panels etc that I could attach to the underside steel fire escape stairs to melt snow and ice. I haven't had any luck yet. If anyone on the wall has seen such a product or can suggest a solution, I would be triple-appreciative.

Eli

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Searched quite a bit

and came up with a goose egg.

Is this being called for by some code? If so, there don't seem to be any? many? suppliers and it's my experience that code changes work in "reverse" with mfgrs of new products lobbying to get them required...

Asked for by an architect or engineer with an idea?

Mad Dog

Wacky request my friend.........................................

why not run a controlled yet steady current right thru it. Mini version of a pipe thaWING machine? MD

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Eli

Hey MadDog,
Explain to a non-professional how a pipe thawing machine operates. Maybe that would work. I can't afford to fricasse any tenants, however. If they can't work, then they can't pay rent.
As for code, none applies. I just know some of my tenants use the fire escape for egress b/c it leads right to the garages. And right now, it has 2" of ice on some of the treads b/c of iced gutters above.
Eli

Aidan

I've seen it done here.

I wasn't involved and have no idea who the manufacturers or installers were. It involved electric trace-heating (self-regulating, I think) elements fixed to the underside of each tread. I believe it was quite a common installation, since the other alternative was applying salt or de-icer. The idea of 150 or 200 people descending a 4 storey skating rink in some haste suggests you'd have to do something to prevent icing.

Try some of the electric trace heating suppliers or fire-escape refurbishment contractors.

jim lockard

Pipe thawer

Eli--A pipe thawer Passes a low voltage high amperage electrical current thru a metal pipe in a controlled setting. The dangers of electrocution are real when attempting to heat items as MD suggest and would not be advisable. That differance in potenial when your tenant was between that last step and ground could ruin "landlords chrismas" for many years to come.
Example= remember getting shocked by a coke machine when you were barefoot, well would you like to try it with an arc welder? Best Wishes J.Lockard

Mad Dog

Actually I was playin with ya a bit.

You could heat trace it, but that could get expensive. You could wait till it gets icy and then melt it off. You really do have to think about this: They really should not be using the fire escape regularly. Mad Dog

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Eli

I could (and have) asked them to sign every kind of release and explanation of the purpose of a fire escape, but people are people (do you were safety glasses every time you should?). And we could write 743 posts about our litigious society. So I have to make my best effort to provide for their safety. Just the way the game is played today.

My back-up plan is to add an awning, but it wouldn't be as effective as stair heaters.

Of course, if I went with the pipe heater idea, I wouldn't have to worry about tenants using the fire escape!

Eli

MikeB34

what about

Those electric cable type heaters you put on the roof to melt ice/snow before the gutters? I imagine the conductivity of the metal fire esape would keep it warm and ice free. Mount it under the deck. (its kinda like pipe heater to prevent freezing, but for rooflines)

Mike

Tim Gardner

Add an alarm to the fire escape

if you don't want to use it, loud enough to be uncomfortable. You could make it easy to turn off but hard to disconnect.

Mad Dog

I hear ya...lawyers ae ruining our country

I thought of an overhang too....but then they will be out there all the time bbq-ing Mad Dog

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Earthfire

iced gutter

Heat trace the gutter and associated downspouts . All that ice in that gutter isn't helping the gutter or your roof any either. For an immediate deice try a steam jenny to melt the ice and any left over moisture should evaporate before it refreezes.

hr

I'd like to see

a load calc done on a steel staircase dangled in space!

I imagine the person paying that energy bill would hav quite a surprise! Especially an electrically operated one!

Build them a new stair case with rect. or square tubing and hydronically melt your blues away.

How many, and what color, do you want $$$

hot rod

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Mike T., Swampeast MO

Highly doubtful!

Even if there is enough waste heat going up the flue (and if you could capture all of it) you wind up with that condensation "problem". Your heat exchanger and/or flue would likely deteriorate quite rapidly

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Load calc done on a steel staircase dangled in space...

I've been wondering about that one as well but really have no idea how to even consider...

Can though imagine a situation where convection is drawing off enough heat from portions where snow/ice CAN'T collect that you can't put heat fast enough into spaces where it CAN collect to overcome the energy required to change the state from solid to liquid!

jim lockard

Solar

Eli-- may start thinking about solar panels to heat up your fire escape.