Know Which Heater You Need When It’s Time to Replace It
All good things must come to an end—and Hotwatt heaters are no exception. While our heaters are known for their exceptional quality, longevity, and robustness, they do have a shelf life. When the time comes to replace your Hotwatt heater, the following guide will help you to identify which heater you have.
Prefixes
All Hotwatt heaters are marked with codes to help identify each unit. These codes start with a prefix, which identifies the product line. This is the first step in identifying your heater.
Prefix Codes:
AH – Air Heater
AT – Metal Sheathed Glasrope® Heater
CB – Ceramic Heater
CK – Crank Case Heater
CS – Ceramic Insulated Strip Heater
CT – Locker Heater – Medium Screw Base
DH – Drum Heater (standard)
DT – Drum Heater (tubular)
EM – Immersion Heater
FH – Foil Rope Heater with Fiberglass Sleeve
FM – Flexible Metal Sheathed Rope Heater
FS – Finned Strip Heater
FT – Finned Tubular Heater*
GH – High Temp Glasrope® Heater
GR – Glasrope® Heater
GS – Silicone Rubber Rope Heater
HA – Heavy Duty Air Heater
HS – Superwatt® Cartridge Heater
MA – Maxi Flow Air Heater
MB – Mica Band Heater
MH – Metric Superwatt® Cartridge Heater
MS – Metric Standard Cartridge Heater
OT – Open Coil Heater – Medium Screw Base
PF – Pure Flow Air Heater
PH – Plate Heater
SC – Standard Cartridge Heater
SR – Rectangular Cartridge Heater
SS – Square Cartridge Heater
ST – Mica Strip Heater
WB – Special Immersion Heater
Descriptions of the Unit
The next step is to identify the shape, diameter, voltage, and wattage. Examples are provided below for round, square, and rectangular units.
Round Units
SC62
The number directly after the prefix is the OD (outside diameter) of the element. In the above case, this is a standard cartridge at .625” OD (or 5/8”).
Next, length is added to the description as shown below:
SC62-12
The above means a 5/8” OD standard cartridge at 12” long.
Additional to that, we add the wattage and voltage as shown below:
SC62-12/400W120V
The above is a 5/8” OD at 12” long @ 400 watts, and 120 volt.
Some units are now being marked with our internal 12-digit code versus the above. This is a unique number to identify every unit that gets applied to a customer order.
Example:
SC0620250031 (12 digit)
SC62-2.5/150W220V/SF1-18 (corresponding description)
The 12-digit code reads as: SC (standard cartridge); 062 (outside diameter); 025 (2.5” long); and the 0031 is only internal (to Backer Hotwatt).
Lead and termination styles are denoted by the SF suffix on the description on all elements. For example, SF1-18 equals 18 inches of flex leads.
Square (SS) or Rectangular (SR) Cartridge Units
Square:
The same nomenclature applies as round, but uses width and thickness (height) versus outside diameter. Both descriptions or 12-digit codes could be etched. You start with a prefix.
For example, SS12-1. This is a square cartridge heater with a 1/8” width (.125”) at 1” long. Each width has a standard thickness associated with it. In the above case, SR12-1 has a 1/8” width and a 1/8” thickness.
All 1/8” wide units have a 1/8” thickness. An SS-12-1 is 1/8” thick and 1/8” wide and 1” long. All square units have matching thickness and widths. 3/16” is 3/16”, 1/4” is 1/4”, etc.
Example:
SS0180287000 (12 digit)
SS18-2.87/100W120V/SF4-36/ (description)
The 12-digit code reads as:
SS018 (Square, 3/16” x 3/16”) 0287 (2.87” long); the remaining digits are internal.
Rectangular:
The same nomenclature applies as square, but the width and thickness. The thickness varies.
SR13s are all 1/8” x 3/8” with length as a variable (i.e., SR13-6 is a 6” long unit with the aforementioned dimensions).
SR14s: All 1/8” x 1/4”
SR15s: All 1/4” x 5/8”
SR16s: All 1/4” x 1”
Example:
SR0160200005 (12 digit)
SR16-2/200W120V/SF1-72 (description)
The 12-digit code reads as:
SR016 (Rectangular, 1/4” x 1”) 02 (2” long) remaining digits are internal
We Can Help
We are here to help with any of your cartridge, air process, immersion, strip and finned strip, tubular and finned tubular, band, foil, flexible Glasrope®, crankcase, and ceramic heater needs. Contact Backer Hotwatt today about your heating application and any questions you may have about the heater you need when it’s time for a replacement.