Typical causes: Cold weather Wind chill, traveling long distances from the hall, especially in rural areas Trucks on standby for hours at a call. After a call, trucks with frozen ball valves are out of service. Ice or frost in portable pumps prevent priming and Gated "Y" valve can freeze closed or open With Heat-Line® technology, trucks are never out of service! Tanker Truck Application Ball valves on tankers are subject to freezing & breaking especially after long distance runs or when parked on standby. The "Arthur Heater" solution is always on, providing confidence & high reliability, operating from the 12 volt engine electrical system. Pumper Truck Application Front mount pumps are especially vulnerable to freezing in cold temperatures, even with a protective travel blanket. Wind chill combined with freezing temperatures and driving long distance creates an opportunity for freezing (wind chill). It is recommended all ball valves be protected from freezing using the "Arthur Heater" manufactured by Heat-Line®. Solution Heat-Line® was contacted in December 2007 by fire Chief Blair Arthur from the Municipality of Shuniah, Ontario, near Thunder Bay. He discussed the problem with Heat-Line®'s product designers and asked for a solution. Within a few days, two custom Kompensator® freeze protection systems were built and shipped to meet Chief Arthur's request. The Kompensator® system has been working flawlessly and continuously ever since going into service. Chief' Arthur's quote, "Awesome product, we have equipped 2 tankers now. We leave the freeze protection system never let us down. As rural fire fighters, we could never reliably operate without it. It's peace of mind knowing that our only weak link on the tankers are covered by Heat-Line® and it always works. Problem solved." Option: Portable water pump application In cold weather situations, the time it takes to carry a portable pump to the lake or river is sufficient to cool and freeze the essential water needed for priming; disabling the pump. Kompensator® freeze protection from Heat-Line®, operates off the pump starter battery and protects the priming area, impeller area & drain cock. An additional Heat-Line® Kompensator® self regulating unit can be purchased to protect the ball valve on the gated "y" outlet. Close-up showing the heater prior to wrapping with insulation How It Works For trucks or portable pumps, this is a low voltage, high performance freeze protection system. It is specifically made for the fire fighting industry. We have called it the "Arthur Heater" named after Fire Chief Blair Arthur who inspired its development by Heat-Line®. The system uses conductive polymer core technology, allowing valves to be completely insulated. Kompensator gently applies the required energy from the vehicle's electrical system, minimizing loads while providing incredible reliability in the most extreme conditions. There are no moving parts, contacts or switches to fail and the valves can be safely insulated without concern of overheating. Thermal image showing the heating effect of freeze protection on the 2 1/2" discharge valve Junction box for the "Arthur Heater" 12 VDC, permanently wired into the truck How To order Ready to install kit Trucks: The "Arthur Heater" Kompensator® for the discharge valve, is supplied as a ready to install kit, complete with: 5 foot self-regulating heating cable, insulating blanket, mechanical protection device, electrical junction box, 20 foot urethane jacketed power supply cable, detailed installation instructions. Part No. BAK-123-005-CS20 Portable pumps: The "Arthur Heater" Kompensator® is supplied as a ready to install package, complete with: 5 foot self-regulating heating cable, insulating blanket, mechanical protection device, electrical junction box, power supply cable, detailed installation instructions. Part No. BAK-123-005-CS06 Note: There are many other locations on vehicles and equipment that could be freeze protected. Contact one of our application specialists to review your specific requirements. Other Heat-line® freeze protection products Water supply systems: municipalities, wells, cottage, factory, farm, home, agriculture, RVs, parks Industrial: storage tanks, machinery, mines & exploration, factory, railway, food & beverage Engines, generators, furnaces: crank case heating, condensate line heating, exhaust gas condensate heating Roof de-icing: edges, gutters, down spouts Roof plumbing vent: freeze protection for plumbing vent stack Drainage systems: sewage forced mains, drainage pipes