EXPERT ADVICE
CHOOSING THE RIGHT SIZE INFRARED
Is bigger better ?
by Jeff Winke
S ometimes bigger is better . When you ’ re fishing for pike , perch , or pickerel , or ordering pizza for a hungry high-school team , or building the huge ball of twine for your road-side-attraction , bigger is better . Push the limits ... go big , go bigger . The question in the infrared heating market is a bigger system better ? Does the size matter in terms of productive performance and the end results ? Is bigger best ? “ Size depends on what projects the contractor intends to use the infrared asphalt heater system ,” stated Michael Blake , director of marketing with KM International , North Branch , Mich . “ For a paving contractor that is strictly going to use the infrared for repairing paving mistakes , such as roller marks , low / high spots , or cold seams , then an infrared with a more lineal foot print might work best . If a contractor is looking for an infrared unit that has the ability to repair any defects they come across , a larger machine with 40 sq . ft of heating area would be more applicable . Some infrared machines offer individually controlled zones that allow users to alter the heating area size to accommodate specific repair areas , which can be nice .” The size of the typical repairs a contractor performs will typically dictate the size of infrared machine that is best suited for current and future needs . “ If the typical work being performed are smaller six to 10-inch size pavement repairs or even two to three-foot in size , then a smaller , infrared machine such as a 3 ” x4 ” or 4 ” x4 ” or 5 ” x5 ” will work fine
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