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!

Trotec presents new leak detection program at IFAT 2010

TROTEC at the IFAT 2010 trade fair

September proved to be yet another busy month for TROTEC. This time we were at the IFAT ENTSORGA 2010 in Munich, which is highly regarded as being the leading international trade fair for environmental technology.

The fair, with its focus set firmly on water, waste water and waste and raw material management, attracted approximately 110,000 visitors from a total of over 185 different countries. During the 5-day event, which lasted from 13 – 17 September, 2,730 exhibitors from 49 countries rose to the opportunity to showcase their most prized products and the latest in cutting-edge technology in their own individual fields. One of the many innovative initiatives which caused quite a stir at this much-acclaimed venue was the state-of-the-art measuring technology program for leak detection in drinking water systems which we at TROTEC took great pride in presenting exclusively. The LD-series is based on the principle of combined detection, using acoustic and pressure sensors to systematically locate possible leaks. The program is made up of the following individual components:

  • The LD5L wireless data logger, which is positioned in the respective pipe system in order to constantly measure the sound level before transmitting the data it has collected to a passing measuring vehicle.
  • The LD5DL pressure data logger, which monitors the pressure status in water supplies both quickly and reliably. The high sampling rate of up to ten measurements per second enables the logger to record even the smallest of pressure surges before storing the data for later assessment and analysis using the software included in the scope of delivery.
  • The LD20PC multifunctional correlator, which is designed to pinpoint any possible leaks in pressure lines. The device registers the impact sound at different points in the pipe network and is then able to detect the exact position of the leak by comparing the length of time which has elapsed between echoes.
  • The LD 6000 combi detector, which is designed expressly for mobile leak detection and the acoustic location of water pipes. The device, which is the first of its kind worldwide, is excellently suited for versatile use as a means for mapping out routes, narrowing down the possible position of a leak or for pinpointing leaks accurately and reliably. When used in combination with the LD 6000 H2 hydrogen sensor, the combi detector can also be employed to detect leaks using trace gas. The optionally available LD-PULS pulse wave generator, which can be used to detect the position of non-metallic pressure water pipes, rounds off this package admirably.

This means that TROTEC now offers a complete and comprehensive program designed to assess the condition of drinking water systems for water suppliers and metrological service providers alike.

The reaction among experts and professionals can only be termed as extremely positive. The specialists responsible for pipework infrastructure in town councils , local authorities and large industrial areas showed great interest in this new product series which has been designed specially with the intention of making their job easier and even more efficient.

If you want to find out more about the measuring devices in the LD-series visit our product catalog!

Trotec exhibitor at NordBau Trade Fair in Neumünster

Trotec at the NordBau Trade Fair 2010

This year the 55th (!) annual NordBau Trade Fair, the long-standing international venue which not only attracts  a huge amount of interest from local companies and members of the local community but also from exhibitors and visitors from all over the globe, opened its gates in Neumünster from 02 -07 September. The event brought representatives from the building trade together with professional visitors, home builders and prospective house buyers, providing them with a platform to enter into dialogue and find out more about the latest building trends and traditional construction methods – quite simply everything in and around the field of building design and construction.

The organisers’ concept of bringing architects, builders’ merchants and countless other members of the building trade and interested members of the public and the commercial sector together proved once again to be resounding success. Over 900 exhibitors from 15 countries took hold of this unique opportunity to showcase their specialist portfolios and present their products and services to over 70,000 visitors. The topics which ranked high in the exhibitors’ and public’s interest this year were well-being, energy efficiency and sustainability.

TROTEC was among the companies at the Nordbau fair that were keen to take advantage of this chance to present their comprehensive product portfolios. The professional products from TROTEC span the fields of indoor climatisation, heating and ventilation, building drying, air purification and measuring technology with each area offering an impressive number of substantial solutions with regard to maximizing energy efficiency. Did you know, for example, that by carrying out drying during the building phase you too could save a significant sum of money which you would otherwise have to fork out for energy costs in the long run? Or that infrared cameras can be employed to detect defects in a building’s insulation, thus uncovering your home or flat’s weak spots, which can invariably cost you the owner, or you the tenant, a small fortune in energy and utility bills?

So now that you have read about the fair and learnt more about the interesting opportunities which such a splendid platform offers a variety of people from trade, industry and the public sector to meet and exchange ideas and information in and around the building sector, perhaps you would like to make a note of the date of the Nordbau 2011 Trade Fair, which is on from 08 – 13 September 2011.

…We for one will be there for sure!

Research on influenza virus gives grounds for new hope

immunisation against influenza by a vaccination

Although we were treated to some glorious sunshine at the beginning of the month, the change in weather which we are now experiencing, with cold fronts advancing from the frosty north and snow squalls already affecting some regions in the south, hardly came as a complete surprise. With the days getting shorter and the nights getting colder, we could slowly rest assured that autumn was finally upon us and that if we were not very careful the cold, wet weather would soon start to take its toll.

To mark the onset of the winter season, the members of our company were last week all offered free flu inoculations in the workplace so that we could protect ourselves against the annually recurring and very real threat of a flu epidemic. In a large company like ours, where people work together as a close team in an office environment and workers and colleagues come into contact with clients, suppliers and forwarders from all parts of Germany, Europe and as far off places as China, the bug has countless opportunities to spread from one host to another until there isn’t a dry nose or clear throat in the house.

For years now, scientists in the field of vaccine research have been desperately trying to come up with a vaccine which would be able to provide potent long-term protection against the dreaded influenza virus which each year raises its ugly head with a force so powerful that it could at least potentially lead to an outbreak on a pandemic scale.

Now history appears to be in the making.

A team of microbiologists at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York under the direction of their principal investigator Professor Peter Palese have made a major breakthrough and appear to have succeeded in coming one vital step closer to developing a vaccine which could provide long-term immunisation against the often lethal virus which not only has the potential to cripple whole economies but also bears enough potency to bring a country to its knees.

The newly developed process designed by the team around Professor Palese no longer targets the head of the protein, it now attacks the tail which mutates at a considerably lower speed than its opposite end. This would in effect mean that a vaccine could remain effective for a period of up to several years.

Although this new avenue has proved to be extremely promising, there are still many hurdles that need to be taken. Up to now the vaccine has only been tested on mice and exhaustive tests still have to show how the complex human organism will react. Another significant point is that although the vaccine prevents the virus from spreading, it does not actually tackle the infection itself. Yet these revolutionary results nonetheless give grounds for new hope not only in research circles, but the world over. And who knows? Perhaps the scientists who produce the vaccine for 2011 will already be able to benefit from the fruits of these studies.

But until they do, there are one or two things we can continue to do to stop ourselves from coming down with a bout of flu: wrap up warm, make sure you wash your hands often enough, follow a balanced diet, boost your vitamin intake and try to get out and get a lungful of fresh air as often as you can to help strengthen your immune system. And if you or your family are unlucky enough to come down with the flu, then apart from perhaps consulting your GP you should try to make sure that you get enough rest, drink enough fluids and perhaps take a hot bath or put a hot-water bottle in your bed if you are feeling exceptionally cold. In addition, it is also imperative that you pay particular attention to your temperature, so as to be able to track the course of the illness.

The Temptection BodyPlus infrared thermometer TROTEC is excellently-suited to help you do so, because it measures your body temperature quickly, reliably, and because measuring is carried out contact-free, hygienically too. And as if that were not enough, the Temptection BodyPlus can also measure the temperature of your bath water, your tea, your leg compresses and even your hot-water bottle in next to no time too.

Quite an impressive list for quite an impressive tool. From Trotec.

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.

Get rid of that overpowering smell – and your used car into the bargain!

Getting rid of the unpleasant smell in used carsParting can be sweet sorrow – and especially difficult if the object you are planning on parting company with is that lovely little hatchback, that small-family-sized SUV or that really stylish ragtop which you had once so set your heart on buying. Yet time waits for no man – and for no four-door saloon either – and so having outgrown your car and with that brand new model smiling at you from your local showroom, you decide that the day has come to find your car a new owner.

But there’s something which could make selling the car with which you share so many a fond memory and which you cherished so dearly even more difficult to sell than you had previously imagined – the smell.

It doesn’t matter how perfect the bodywork is, or how impressive the car’s interior, as soon the buyer who has developed an avid interest in your car catches the smell of stale cigarette smoke or any other persistent odours which have accumulated over the years, then the buyer’s interest doesn’t just cool off – it drops to below freezing.

There is no denying that the smell that smoke leaves behind in the upholstery of your car is a real sales damper. The used and new car portal autoscout24.de wanted to know just how big a role the lingering and often overpowering smell of smoke plays when potential buyers are on the lookout for a new used car. Interestingly enough – although less surprisingly for some – of the 1400 people asked in the survey if this fact would stop them from buying a second-hand car, 54% answered with “yes”. That means that one in two people would not be prepared to buy a car from someone who has smoked regularly in his or her vehicle. And to make matters worse, according to Thomas Firmery of KÜS, the Association of Motor Vehicle Assessors, cars belonging to smokers are often marked down by as much as 3 to 7 percent, which, depending on the car in question, can quite quickly add up to several thousands of pounds or euros.

So what can you do to get rid of that overpowering, lingering stale smell of cigarette smoke from the inside of your car? Well, Step 1 is a good, thorough cleaning: the seats and upholstery have to vacuumed properly and so do the mats in the footwell. Step 2 involves using a suitable shampoo to remove stubborn stains and smells from the car seatbelts and the seats’ fibres and Step 3 includes cleaning just about all the other parts, like the dashboard, components made of synthetic materials, the windscreen and windows and the lining of the roof. And don’t forget the ashtray. If you want to play it really safe, then you might even want to invest in a new one if the old ashtray has seen far better days.

And speaking of playing it safe… in order to achieve not just a good, but a brilliant impression on your next potential buyer, don’t just try to mask any smells which might prove to be the reason for him or her wanting to pull out of an otherwise watertight deal at the last moment – eliminate the smells altogether with an Airozon 5000 , one the mobile odour neutralisers from Trotec. Odour neutralisers like the Airozon 5000 use ozone to not just conceal the smell of smoke or other exceedingly unpleasant odours, including vomit and pet faeces, but crack the molecules that actually cause the smell in the first place, thereby neutralising them both effectively and permanently. All you have to do is follow the instructions and treat your car to the ozone treatment it deserves.

So when you are thinking of buying a new car – and selling your old one beforehand – make sure that you go through the steps mentioned above so that you don’t get caught on the hop when the buyer sticks their head into the inside of your car to “see” what it smells like.

Remember: only the nose knows…

Electricity straight from the sea

Electricity from the sea is no longer a vision: the future has already begun off the coast of the Orkney Isles in the North of Scotland where the world’s largest wave test facility has been installed near the small port of Stromness, a site which was not picked for its rugged views and primeval landscapes but because it has the highest wave energy potentials in Europe, if not the world.

Huge hopes have been placed in the eco-friendly plant dubbed “Oyster” which transforms the energy produced by the waves into electricity. This incredible feat is achieved by means of flap gates anchored to the seabed which pump seawater from 10m long yellow pipes floating half a kilometre off the coast in the Atlantic through a turbine installed on land to the rhythm of the waves.

Now that the first contracts allowing sea areas to be used to generate electricity have been awarded, the First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, already predicts that Scotland will one day be “the Saudi Arabia of marine energy”. In fact of the ten licences that were issued worldwide, nine were specifically for areas off the Orkney Isles.

The project is an extremely ambitious one: one of the intermittent targets that has been set is to provide 350,00 households with electricity derived from this power source by the year 2020. So just how realistic are these plans? Neil Kermode, managing director of the European Marine Energy Centre Ltd, the company providing the marine-based energy technology, has his doubts. He believes that these are still early days compared to other renewable energy alternatives like wind farming. He puts this partly down to underfunding, pointing out that it is not only seawater but also money that needs to be pumped into the project for it to succeed on such a scale.

So until the necessary steps have been taken to ensure that this revolutionary new form of inexhaustible and therefore hopefully more affordable energy is made available to people not only in the outer corners of Scotland, but also all over the world, we, the consumer, will have to continue to cut back on the amount of electricity we are using to keep our electricity bills in check. What a better a way to do this than with the BX11 energy meter, the easy-to-use, plug-in-and-monitor energy-saving device that can knock £100s of pounds off your energy bill by unearthing the greedy little appliances around your home that gobble up electricity even when they are in stand-by so that you can do something about changing your own little cosmos.

Buy a BX 11 energy meter today and make a statement that will also make a difference on your bank statement.

Plenty of room for new ideas

The new Trotec Building

There are times when you just have to think big: Driven mainly by the success of our dynamic expansion over the past years, we have managed to get on board a lot of great people here at Trotec. But to be honest, it was starting to get a little bit overcrowded recently…

There was no way that we could ignore it any longer: our traditional headquarters at Grebbener Strasse 7 was bursting at the seams. Especially in the course of our internationalization and the consecutive entering of the French, Turkish, Polish and Chinese markets, the number of employees has grown immensely. The extension of our premises was therefore inevitable – after all, we still have big plans for the future! So we were thrilled to hear that the building next door was going to be substantially refurbished in response to the increased demand for room. By now, the construction work is almost completed and most of our colleagues have already moved into their new workplace.

And, what should I say… it was worth waiting for! The new building is not only very smart and modern; it also leaves a lot of room for further development and creativity.

So watch this spot for what comes next…

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!