Denmark: One more example for heavy floods and the chaos that goes along with it

Flood in Copenhagen

For those who are affected it is nothing short of a living nightmare. And for all those who thanks to the power of the media watch on as tragedy after tragedy unfolds and normal people – people like you and me – wade through streets that have turned into raging rivers and homeowners and shopkeepers stand waist-deep in murky water, staring into the camera numb with shock and despair, it is a scenario that fills our hearts with angst and sympathy – and a feeling of foreboding, because this could happen to almost anyone, almost anywhere. And yes it could happen to us.

When on July 2, 2011 the heavens over Copenhagen opened and six inches (15cm) of rain fell over the country’s capital in only a single hour, this was the latest in a chain of natural catastrophes caused by weather phenomena that have rocked our world to its foundations in the course of the past several years. Read More

Did somebody say summer?

Waiting for Summer

Looking out of the window you wouldn’t believe it was summer. Big, billowy storm clouds the size of battleships hanging ominously overhead, a grey band of rain bringing even more gloom and despondency stretching out on the horizon. You can tune in to whichever radio station or channel you like or go to any website. The weather forecast is always the same: abysmal. Some areas are once again predicted to get a month’s rainfall in only one day. And the next low pressure system is not far behind.

For those of us unfortunate enough to have been affected by these sudden torrential downpours that transform a trickle into a raging torrent and rivulets into rivers, this year will certainly be one to remember. Having previously read or heard about the flooding abroad, in far off places, places where we would not have thought it could have been possible on such a scale it is now our turn to worry whether we are the next, whether it is our town or village that will be hit by the sheer unstoppable masses of water that swell into streets and houses and engulf everything that stands in their way. Read More

Damp basement? Moist walls? How to ventilate during summer

How to ventilate during summerMost of the time people don’t give much thoughts about how to air their house or apartment. During the cold and frosty months of winter at least you mind to keep the doors and windows closed to keep the valuable and costly heating energy inside the house, don’t you? But as soon as the temperature rises again no one really cares anymore… Because if it is warm outside I can open up all windows and doors to let fresh air into my apartment, so there is no problem anymore with damp basements or moist walls, right? Read More

When winter gets in the way of constructing your dream – Part 2

building dryers and fans on a construction site in winter

In the first part of our two-part series we already explained the advantages – and the evident lack of disadvantages – of using mobile heating units on winter building sites. Not only does it make good financial sense to rent or buy a mobile electric or oil heating unit to stop temperatures from dipping and putting your building project on hold, it can also save you no end of time and trouble.

What many people fail to realise, however, is that by using heating units during the winter months to dry out their buildings they are actively cutting costs which would compound in later months while other less forward-thinking home builders just sit around and wait – and hope – for warmer weather.

Mobile heating units are designed to allow you to continue with the work you have in mind before carrying on with the next building phase. They are invaluable for keeping up the momentum and preventing the project from grinding to an unsatisfactory and frustrating halt. Especially electric heaters are extremely effective when it comes to bringing down moisture levels, since unlike oil heaters they do not produce any moisture themselves.

The wet, cold weather which invariably impacts the part of the world we live in, makes drying out buildings during the winter months difficult enough as it is. The problem becomes even more difficult to deal with when plastering or screed laying is carried out, for this kind of work produces even more moisture. But failing to counter humidity right now would be saving in the wrong place: energy prices are high enough as it is. And these costs can double for years to come if the house you are living in has not been dried out properly. And things can get worse. When given the opportunity, mould will multiply and spread at an alarming rate. Mould thrives on damp conditions, like in a building that has not been dried out properly. Having to rip out walls or cladding to remedy the problem once you have moved into the house is any home owner’s nightmare.

But what can you do to support the drying out of your building? You could be forgiven for thinking that the bigger the heater, the better the results. This is, however, not the case. In fact by buying or renting an oversized heater you could even end up exacerbating the problem instead of combating it. That’s why it is important to calculate beforehand which heating unit is right for you – if we can help you to determine your individual needs just let us know!

But there is also another way you can speed up the drying out process: Fans circulate the air in rooms. This air movement makes it easier for the moisture in the walls to be given off into the ambient air from where it can be extracted by your heating units.

It doesn’t really matter what you want to rent or buy. We at Trotec have just the right heater, construction dryer or fan for you. And the right advice should you need it. Try us. We would be most happy to oblige.

The key to learning is a good night’s sleep

The key to learning is a good night's sleep

That sounds just too easy to be true…but apparently it really is! A good night’s sleep does not only do you good from a health point of view. Research carried out by a team of scientists from the Harvard Medical School shows that it also helps you to improve the way you store the information that you have acquired during your waking hours by cataloging the data, facts and figures you have gathered and linking them to existing bits of memory.

The results of the study, which were published in the “Journal of Neuroscience”, underscore just how important a good night’s sleep is. But first of all a number of things have to be observed which can all make the difference between a good and a bad night’s sleep:

  • Try to stick to regular bedtimes. This might sound relatively unexciting, but it could easily become a healthy habit. Routines such as this can help you to relax and make it easier for you to find the sleep you much need.
  • Alcohol may make you feel sleepy, but it does affect the quality of the sleep you are getting. The more moderate your alcohol intake, the more invigorating your sleep.
  • Some people are tempted to save on what they consider to be less essential items like a good mattress, the right pillow and quality bed linen. It would be better if these consumers followed the advice given by companies specialising in bedding products and invested in a good night’s sleep.
  • Bedrooms should not be too cold. Some people turn off the heating to save money. But they are not saving in the long run. Cold, clammy rooms provide ideal breeding grounds for mould and pave the way for costly renovations and repairs. The ideal temperature in your bedroom should be somewhere between 16 and 18 C.
  • Keep a close eye on the relative humidity in your rooms. The best way to do control the humidity during the drier winter months is to use a humidifier. Humidifiers add moisture to the room air and prevent your mucous membranes from drying out and becoming susceptible to colds and viruses. And because the humidifiers are equipped with an easy-to-remove, easy-to-clean, air filter which filters dust, pet hairs, pollen and other airborne contaminants out of the air, this makes them ideal for allergy sufferers too.

So if the key to learning is a good night’s sleep, then you really should do something to ensure that that’s what you are getting. Like changing one or two habits and investing in one or two things which could enrich your life. Like a humidifier from Trotec.

Lesson learnt.

The sweet smell of summer

dehumidifiers to help you get rid of the musty smell in your laundry roomAutumn is here at last. You need only look at the calendar – or out of the window. So make the most of the last sunbeams. The days are getting shorter and shorter – and the weather isn’t going to get any better!

During the darker autumn and winter months, we all miss the warmth, the vibrant colours and the very unique smell that we all associate with summer. Freshly mown grass, sun lotion or the smell of fresh laundry can all evoke that summer feeling and light up any gloomy autumn day. But clothes which can no longer hang out to dry in the sunshine and have to be dried in a damp laundry room can often develop a lingering musty smell. No matter what detergent you use, a moist indoor climate is bound to frustrate any effort to maintain a “fresh summer breeze” throughout the long winter months. Laundry rooms in particular are prone to such problems because of the extra humidity which comes from the washing machines and spin dryers. This can quickly result in damp clothes, ugly stains on walls and an unpleasant musty smell. These early signs call for immediate action, because this can easily lead to mould forming, especially in smaller rooms with insufficient ventilation. A dehumidifier can help you to control the indoor climate and create the conditions you want while working against high levels of humidity and preventing mould and that particularly pungent smell that goes with it.

Comfort air dehumidifiers like the TTK 70S and the TTK 75S, for example, are ideal for everyday use: the ultra compact devices fit in any nook or corner and are able to maintain constantly low levels of humidity in just about any room. At the same time, the built-in air filter makes sure that the air in the room is clean and free of  dust, pollen and pet hairs – which is a relief, and not only for allergy sufferers!

And because winter is already well on its way, TROTEC has three campaigns with bargain-priced dehumidifiers in store for you…

So it’s goodbye summer, roll on winter!  And a perfect indoor climate all year round – with air conditioners, humidifiers and dehumidifiers from Trotec. The company that cares.

Prepare yourself and your cellar – the worst is yet to come

TROTEC dehumidifiers - the solution after floodings and heavy rainfalls

The effects of climate change that we experienced in 2010 are cause for grave concern – the images ingrained in our memories of ravaged regions and lost souls still leave us shocked, shaken and helpless. The devastating heat wave in Russia, the horrifying floods in Pakistan or just recently the tsunami in Indonesia– these are probably among the most severe weather catastrophes which happened within the last year.

There are still those who say that these catastrophes cannot be linked to the change in climate and that mankind has had little or nothing to do with global warming and the effect climate change has had, and is having, on our planet. But those who believe that climate change is responsible for the effects we are witnessing by far outnumber the sceptics.

But what can we do? Some changes already seem to be irreversible. And the fruits of what we are succeeding in changing or stopping will only become evident in years, if not decades, to come.

Well, we can start by accepting that there will be many more such situations and catastrophes in the near future and that we quickly need to take some necessary steps and precautions in order to prevent the worst from happening. At this very moment there is a massive project underway in – or to put it more precisely under Mexico City – to build a 62-kilometre long tunnel 150 metres below the city’s surface with just one aim in mind: to protect the 20 million-strong metropolis against flooding and high water.

Mexico City is especially at risk because the mega city is built on a dried out lake and is gradually sinking further and further into the sandy substrate. The city itself is also surrounded by a ridge of high mountains which makes it extremely difficult – and costly – to pump the waste water out of the city and away from its inhabitants.

If nothing is done, and the heavy rainfalls during the wet season continue on such a colossal scale, then the city will literally sink in its own water. And this is what the TEO (Túnel Emisor Oriente) is designed to prevent. The tunnel will conduct the water masses away from the city in a depth of 150 metres to the lower-lying federal capital Hidalgo where they will then be processed by gigantic sewage plants which have been upgraded for exactly this purpose. The tunnel will soon be able to propel 150 m³ water per second to the nether regions, perhaps even as soon as 2012. There is even a German company from Baden-Württemberg involved in this mammoth project, which once again goes to show how highly German technology is regarded all over the globe.

So Mexico City is – for the time being at least – safe, thankfully. But where does that leave the rest of us? Our often antiquated and overburdened drainage systems are unable to cope with the downpours we have been experiencing. And you can hardly rely on sandbags and backflow flaps to stop the floods that ensue when the sewers run over, the dykes give and the rivers burst their banks. Better then to make sure that your washing machines, tumble dryers and any other possessions which you value highly are on a pedestal or other elevated place should the floods swamp your cellar. And if your cellar does one day get submerged in water you can always rely on us to dry it out again.

Prepare for the worst and hope for the best…

Our professional building dryers and dehumidifiers offer a whole range of solutions for dehumidification regardless of the scale. Take advantage of our super special offers which are currently running for new and second-hand dehumidifiers – and make sure you’re well prepared for the wet season!

TROTEC – we won’t leave you standing in the rain!

Trust Trotec to come up with yet another Super Special Offer!

super special offer on dehumidifier TTK 140 S

If there’s one thing that experience has taught us here at TROTEC, it’s that autumn holds a whole host of new challenges in store for many of our clients: the wet, stormy weather, the endless downpours, heavy, driving rain and the accompanying freak flash floods and high water stretch them and their abilities to the limit. And you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who would admit to actually liking being constantly caught in heavy showers or hailstorms only to be greeted by a damp climate when they finally arrive home sopping wet and frozen through.

Which is why our dehumidifiers are in such big demand at this time of the year. The dehumidifiers from Trotec are ideal when it comes to providing immediate aid after water damage, to help dry pumped out cellars, to combat high levels of moisture in production sites or storerooms and warehouses or to quite simply regulate the relative humidity in your home. It doesn’t matter where you put them – the slim, sophisticated dehumidifiers cut a fine figure whatever the application, wherever they are.

So to make sure that you are well prepared we have prepared a super campaign that will help you through the wet weather!

The TTK 140 S is an extremely versatile, high-quality, power-packing dehumidifier which you can now buy at a sensational knock-down price. And because we don’t believe in special offers which create the impression that you are saving by buying a low-priced electrical or domestic appliance whereas in fact you are compromising on service and quality, what you get at TROTEC is the real deal – a truly efficient and reliable mobile dehumidifier at a truly attractive price.

Interested in the TTK 140 S? Come and visit our shop to save up to 50% on new products and get used models at cut-price!

Don’t let the rain sodden season dampen your spirits. Bring down moisture levels to where you want them and create your own individual indoor climate wherever you are.

Yet another TROTEC waiting game: Special discounts on dehumidifiers!

Three campaigns for special-priced dehumidifiers

This is going to make the alert customer jump for joy: It’s time for the Trotec waiting game again! For where else can you save as much money buying premium brand products right off the shelf? This time the spotlight is on…the dehumidifiers TTK 70 S and TTK 75 S!

Kick-off is October 13th at the stroke of midnight, going on for 40 days as usual. This means that for the very quick among you there’s the chance to get up to 40% early-bird discount on our dehumidifiers TTK 70 S and TTK 75 S. Because the countdown is on: every day that you hesitate, you’ll miss 1% of the discount. Who places his order nice and early therefore saves most. And always keep in mind: This offer is only valid while stocks last! Or, as we say here: It’s the early bird that catches the – er- dehumidifier!

You think this is it? Well, far from it…We’ve got two more special offers in store for you.

Find out more about our 3 custom-made campaigns for bargain-priced dehumidifiers!

High humidity levels in Asia: Apple iphone owners left out in the rain

high humidity levels

It is not uncommon for humidity levels in Asia to reach 95%. Too much for the Apple iphone according to an article in the South China Morning Post. The phone’s onboard moisture sensors, so called Liquid Submersion Indicators (LSIs), react extremely sensitively to such conditions and switch the cult objet d’art off. Thousands of customers have already been affected.

But worse is still to come: Apple’s one-year warranty expires in case of damage caused by moisture – the company assumes that their cult smartphone has then either been dropped into a swimming pool or left out in the rain. And the warranty clauses are carefully worded with regard to temperature and relative humidity operating and storage ranges, leaving nothing to chance. This development obviously does not go down well with the Apple enthusiasts whose world suddenly goes pear-shaped when their company refuses to accept any responsibility. To date there is no sign that the iphone users can expect either compensation or sympathy from the company giant.

And Asia is much closer than you think. The relative humidity in bathrooms can also reach very high levels, especially when somebody is having a hot bath or shower. And how many smartphone owners, people who like listening to mp3 files or who want to be sure that they don’t miss a call, take their prized possessions into the bathroom with them? But it is exactly these environments that can present a grave problem – not only to your iphone but also your health. Mould thrives on high levels of moisture and as we pointed out in our blog last week: Mould can be a killer. This is why we at Trotec recommend using dehumidifiers to extract excess moisture from the air, especially in bathrooms, windowless rooms or cellars where high levels of moisture can often be compared to a time bomb ticking over and waiting to go off.

The time has come for you to take responsibility into your own hands and create your own dry zone – before it is too late. Check the relative humidity in your home, flat or apartment with one of the many moisture meters from Trotec and bring down moisture levels in bathrooms, basements, cellars and cubby-holes with one of our state-of-the-art, low-priced iphones – sorry, mobile dehumidifiers.