Temporary Heating and Drying for Manufacturing Plants: How to Protect Production and Productivity

Temperature and humidity have a direct effect on how efficiently a manufacturing facility runs. When conditions slip, temporary heating and drying can be the difference between a plant that keeps producing and one that falls behind.

When temperatures fall, an existing heating system fails or additional heat and drying capacity is needed, the impact goes far beyond worker comfort. Production slows, drying and curing times increase, condensation forms, and materials and finished products are exposed to cold and moisture. The challenge for production, facilities and engineering teams is less about finding a temporary heater and more about understanding which conditions need to be maintained – and putting the right temporary climate control in place before production is affected.

When is temporary heating and drying needed?

Every manufacturing environment is different, but the need for temporary heating or drying usually comes down to one of three situations.

Breakdown or maintenance of permanent plant. When a permanent heating system fails unexpectedly or is taken offline for maintenance, temporary heating keeps production areas within the required range. It is also used where the existing system cannot deliver enough heat for a particular process, production area or maintenance activity.

Seasonal conditions. Colder external temperatures make stable internal conditions harder to maintain, and moisture and condensation become more difficult to control.

Planned shutdowns. Maintenance, deep cleaning, refurbishment, coating and flooring works all introduce moisture or need specific temperature conditions before production can restart.

Climate control is therefore part of both day-to-day production resilience and planned maintenance.

The consequences of getting conditions wrong

A drop in temperature or a rise in humidity can look like a facilities issue at first, but the effects quickly spread into the wider operation.

Processes that rely on drying or curing take longer than planned. Condensation forms on surfaces, machinery and structural steelwork. Coatings and resin flooring cannot be applied or cured properly outside their specified temperature and humidity range. Raw materials and finished stock can be damaged by cold or moisture.

Ultimately, these issues affect what manufacturing teams are trying hardest to protect – production and productivity.

If environmental conditions delay maintenance work or stop an area returning to operation on schedule, even a small climate-control problem quickly becomes a much larger production issue.

That is why temporary heating and drying is best planned as part of the wider production or maintenance programme, rather than arranged in a hurry once conditions have already deteriorated.

Start with the environment, not the equipment

One of the most common mistakes we see when temporary heating is arranged is starting with the question:

“What size heater do we need?”

A better starting point is:

“What conditions do we need to achieve?”

The answer depends on the size and layout of the space, current temperature and humidity, ventilation, the process taking place, heat losses, access arrangements and the conditions that need to be maintained.

Sometimes heating alone is enough.

In other cases, the most effective approach combines heating, dehumidification, air movement and ventilation.

Adding heat to a damp space will not always solve a moisture problem. Where drying or humidity is the main issue, heating usually needs to work alongside dehumidification to bring conditions under control.

The type of heater matters too. Direct-fired heaters release combustion gases and water vapour straight into the space – roughly 1.6 litres of water for every kilogram of propane burned – which can make condensation worse and is generally unsuitable for food production, clean areas or poorly ventilated spaces. Indirect-fired and electric heaters deliver clean, dry heat and are usually the better choice in a manufacturing environment. Our guide to temporary industrial heating and indirect oil-fired heaters explains this in more detail. 

Understanding the application first makes it possible to specify a solution around the actual problem rather than simply supplying additional heat.

Planned shutdowns are an opportunity to plan climate control early

Shutdowns put manufacturing teams under considerable pressure.

Several maintenance activities often run at once, within a short window and against a fixed deadline for restarting production.

Building temporary climate control into the shutdown plan lets engineering and maintenance teams identify requirements before work begins.

It also gives more time to assess the area, size the equipment and plan where heating, drying or ventilation equipment will go so it does not obstruct other works.

What to consider before arranging temporary heating 

Power and fuel. Is there enough electrical capacity on site, or will the solution need fuel-fired equipment and a safe place to store fuel?

Hygiene and product safety. Food, pharmaceutical and other clean manufacturing areas may need heat ducted in from outside the space, so no combustion products or contaminants reach production.

Hazardous areas. Where flammable vapours or dust may be present, the equipment and its position must be suitable for the area's zone classification.

Ventilation. Heating and dehumidification need to be balanced with the fresh air the space and process require.

Access and noise. Equipment should not obstruct traffic routes, fire exits or other contractors, and noise levels need to be acceptable for people working nearby.

Monitoring. Remote temperature and humidity monitoring confirms that target conditions are being met and provides a record – important where flooring or coating warranties depend on cure conditions.

Case Study

Keeping a New Food Manufacturing Facility on Programme

Climate control matters just as much when a manufacturer is building or extending a facility. In this example, the risk to production started before the plant had even opened.

• Challenge

  A contractor was building a new production facility for a food manufacturer in Milton Keynes. The flooring contractor required a constant temperature to be maintained to ensure the floor covering cured effectively and in a timely manner, during the winter months.

• Solution

  RVT Group surveyed the site, reviewing the layout, where equipment could be positioned and the internal conditions needed for the flooring to cure effectively. We then installed our Climex Indirect Oil-Fired Heating Kits, which introduced warm, dry air under a positive pressure within the facility. Combining heat, dehumidification and air movement to ensure an even temperature was maintained internally.

• Result

  Our Climex temporary heating and drying solution allowed the floor laying process to commence during the winter months ensuring the project remained on programme, so the facility stayed on track to start production as planned.

  Climex temporary heating and drying equipment installed at the food production facility.

Download Climate Control Brochure

Temporary climate control should support the production plan

For manufacturing teams, the real objective is to create conditions that allow the operation to continue safely and efficiently.

That might mean helping maintenance work finish on schedule, enabling flooring or coatings to cure correctly, reducing condensation, drying an area after cleaning or maintaining suitable conditions while permanent plant is repaired.

That is why a consultative approach pays off. Rather than treating temporary climate control as a standalone industrial heating hire, we assess the requirement as part of the wider project, taking account of the environment, production requirements and other activities taking place in the facility.

“When implementing a temporary heating and drying solution in a manufacturing environment, focusing on the outcome the client is looking to achieve is critical. Once we understand this, and the environment being worked within, we can help provide the correct solution.“ - Craig Chattell, Industry Business Unit Leader, RVT Group

Planning ahead can reduce production risk

Temporary heating and drying often only gets attention when there is a problem, but the most effective solutions are the ones planned in advance.

Whether a manufacturer is preparing for winter, planning a shutdown, carrying out maintenance or dealing with an unexpected heating failure, understanding the climate-control requirement early gives more opportunity to put the right solution in place.

RVT Group works with manufacturing teams to assess temporary heating and drying requirements and specify solutions around the conditions that need to be achieved.

From heating and dehumidification to ventilation and environmental monitoring, the objective is the same – helping protect production, productivity and programme certainty.

Planning a shutdown or concerned about temporary heating and drying within your facility?

Speak to RVT Group about your requirements. Our specialists can assess the application and help develop a temporary climate-control solution around your site, process and programme.

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