Online shopping? Sure thing!

Posted on by Elena Kramer

Doing your shopping online has some undeniable advantages. You can do it anytime, anyplace, without even leaving the comfortable warmth of your home or diving into the jostling masses of Christmas shoppers in the city centres and shopping malls. Very comfortable. And not to forget: The variety of products on offer is incomparably bigger than in any physical store, and the WWW allows you to compare prices from all around the world. Easy.

But how do you know that you really get what you pay for? The anonymity of the internet favours trickeries of all kinds, and the cases in which an unsuspecting customer is fooled out of his money are becoming, regretfully, more frequent each day. But fortunately, there are some straightforward ways you can find out whether an online shop in trustworthy or not – even before you place an order.  

An easy, yet very effective step towards checking the integrity of the shop you are dealing with is to just type the address of the webshop into a search engine. If complaints of unsatisfied customers or fraud warnings appear among the first results, this should make you cautious, at the very least. Also, you should always know who exactly you are dealing with. The legal notice ought to give you all the information you need concerning the owner of the company, including the physical address, telephone number and place of jurisdiction. Any reputable company should state a real address, and not just some anonymous POB, and be on call during regular office hours.

The most reliable hint, however, is the judgement of an unbiased authority. Trusted Shops is the leading organization for the accreditation of online shops in Europe, and their “Seal of Confidence” is about the highest distinction any shop can get. Because there are more than a hundred individual criteria you have to fulfil before your shop is even considered for such a seal. Because the experts from Trusted Shops verify on a regular basis that the high quality standards the consumer expects are constantly maintained. Because they do not only give their seal of approval, they also offer an extensive  buyer protection and customer service.

This makes sure that you – the customer – are always on the safe side when dealing with a certified shop. Like ours: Trotec24 proudly presents its new and hard-earned Seal of Confidence, which from now on shows our new customers what our regular customers already know: We live up to our promises. And that’s a promise.

Why don’t you come and see for yourself? Visit the Trotec24 online shop

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We warmly recommend: It’s time for the Christmas market again!

Posted on by Elena Kramer

Electric heaters to fight off the cold at German Christmas Markets
These days are certainly among the coldest first days of December since the beginning of the weather records – at least that is what they say in the weather forecast here. Now, who in their right mind would take that as the ideal opportunity to spend hours and hours outside, walking through jammed aisles and freezing their tails off? Well, we Germans do…

There is hardly a thing in winter that we look forward to as much as to our beloved Christmas markets. It is a tradition that goes back over 600 years in history and it has become one of the central elements of our Christmas culture. But also in other countries the “German Christmas Markets” are becoming increasingly popular. In Birmingham, Manchester or Edinburgh you can find such markets, and even Chicago or Denver have their own version of this traditionally German advent custom. The festive atmosphere, evoked by lush decorations, festive music and the illumination of the winter scenery, attracts people of all ages to stroll across the market, admire the diverse products the stall-holders have to offer and feast on seasonal specialties like gingerbread or roasted almonds. And, of course, the mulled wine – or glühwein as the locals like to call it – which is, by the way, the best remedy to fight off the biting cold.

But those of you who have to endure all day in the stalls, selling food or artisan craftwork to the jostling crowds, will need another solution to that problem. How about an electric heater? These convenient little devices keep you nice and warm in your market stall, so you can enjoy the atmosphere without getting frostbite or catching a cold. For this is probably the last thing you’ll need for Christmas…

For only €65.39 you can get yourself a super compact heater so that you are well- prepared for the Christmas market and any other outdoor activity … in the Trotec24 online shop!

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

Posted on by Alfred Austin

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.

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When winter gets in the way of constructing your dream – Part 1

Posted on by Alfred Austin

electric heaters on construction sites in winter

If only everything had gone according to plan – the local tradesmen you contracted would be putting the finishing touches to your new house, the removal men would be on their way round to pack your belongings and whisk them away to your new address and you and your family would be spending your first Christmas gathered together around the beautifully decorated Christmas tree in your very first new family home. If only…

But unfortunately – as it is so often the case in real life – if there’s one thing you can be sure of, then it’s that everything seldom goes according to plan:

Unforeseen events and unpredictable factors can often lead to maddening delays in the schedules of private developers. And because time is nearly always a very scarce commodity during such enterprising ventures, setbacks like these tend to set the aspiring homeowner very much on edge.

And then before you know it it’s winter.

A sharp drop in the temperature can confront you, the home builder, with a whole range of new problems: you now have to decide whether you want to put your building project on hold, hoping above hope that the weather will improve again and that the temperatures will start to rise again – in which case you should perhaps prepare yourself for a very long wait – or you can decide to take control and fight back the biting cold by installing a powerful mobile heating unit.

Unless, of course, you are one of those many house builders out there who wince at the mere thought of being burdened with even more extra costs which any form of on-site heating is bound to bring. The list of expenses is already long enough, you say to yourself. And who would want to add yet another crippling expenditure if it can possibly be avoided? Yet these additional costs are only half the story…

A building delay – or a building stop – can often have a much more serious effect on your budget than a minor outlay. Because you are not able to move into your new home, you will have to find some suitable form of interim accommodation – or continue to pay rent if you are fortunate enough not to be evicted. And by failing to provide adequate heating facilities and protecting your property against damage by frost you run the risk of having to deal with burst water pipes and large-scale frozen plumbing.

So when it comes to warding off the cold what better a way to do so than by using one of the many mobile heating solutions from TROTEC. We have a wide range of electric heaters and oil heating units which are all designed to provide you with the means to keep your building project up and running and your building site warm during the colder winter months.

And if winter takes you by surprise and a quick and practical heating solution is needed immediately, you can always rent one fromTKL, the rental division of our company.

… Read more about winter on a construction site in the next part of this article!

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There’s just no way to overcome a deep-rooted prejudice – is there?

Posted on by Elena Kramer

Overcoming deep-rooted prejudices against craftsmen by using professional equipment

The craftsmen among our readers will know what I mean when I say that some of their customers still have some pretty outdated preconceptions with regard to their craft. But who on earth was this one particular craftsman – so unreliable, so clumsy and so inconsiderate – that even today craftsmen of all trades are still having to suffer the consequences?

When people call a carpenter, a painter or a tiler, they already have an image in their mind’s eye of utter chaos, noise and dirt and a total invasion of their privacy. Good service, respectful behaviour and up-to-date equipment are often not among the first things that cross the customers’ minds when they think about a craftsman’s pending visit … But this is exactly where you can benefit from this mess! Living up to high expectations is a hard thing to achieve – today’s customers are becoming harder and harder to please. But to exceed all expectations can be so easy when you amaze the sceptics among your customers with involvement, professional behaviour and friendly and accessible manners. And what is best of all: a satisfied customer is much more likely to recommend you to neighbours and friends!

Apart from such obvious things as punctuality, reliability or outward appearance, there is nothing that can make a deeper impression than professional equipment. And it doesn’t have to cost a fortune, because even a small investment can make a really big difference. Fumbling around with a folding rule, for example, can be make people look quite inept and it can be time-consuming, too – especially with a customer breathing down your neck while their trying to protect their valued possessions from potential harm. Yet it could all be so much easier: The BD15 laser distance meter can save you a lot of trouble and your customer from becoming a of bundle nerves. And one there’s another thing you can be certain of: whenever you use a state-of-the-art folding rule 2.0 you are showing your customers that you are keeping up with the times!

So no matter when or where the myth of the unreliable craftsman evolved – it’s about time to do away with it for good. But who am I telling … your customers will know that already!

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Do you know what a blokart is?

Posted on by Alfred Austin

Just a few weeks ago, the 51st International Boat Show in Hamburg, the Hanseboot 2010, played host to the First World Indoor Championships of an up-and-coming adventure sport which many people who have not yet experienced the thrill of setting their sails to the wind will probably never even have heard of – blokarting.

Blokarting is the name given to an exciting and relatively young sport from New Zealand which has taken fun-loving communities the world over by storm and is fast becoming one of the most popular sailing sports around.

The unique growth and success of the sport can be attributed to a number of things: First the blokarts themselves: the three-wheeled, compact, lightweight vehicles are relatively easy to assemble and set up and just as easy to stow away again and transport too. And with entry level models costing as little as £1500, they are also relatively affordable.

Second the blokarters: the sport is open to people of all ages. Learning how to handle the nippy little tubular steel racers is easier than one would think. Experienced sailors or yachtsmen do, of course, have an advantage, as they are already schooled in the art of putting their noses to the wind. But this does not mean that novices and newcomers do not quickly grasp what they must do in order to come to grips with what can only be regarded as a cross between a state-of-the-art gokart and a small sailing boat.

Third the location: you can quite simply do it nearly everywhere! The sport, which can either be practised as a recreational activity or on a competitive level, knows no bounds when it comes the type of surface on which the blokarts run. Sandy beaches, disused airfields, grass-covered recreational grounds or unused tarmaced car parks – they all provide the right environment for blokarters to carry out their passion for doing it from all angles. And at speeds of up to 25 to 40 km depending on the prevailing wind and weather conditions.

Professional blokarters, like those who converged on Oostende in Belgium to take part in the regular world championship, can even reach speeds topping 100 km an hour. For them the indoor championships at the Hansaboot were an unusual challenge and a totally new experience. The stiff breeze which they needed for the competition was supplied by 15 of our largest and most powerful wind machines. Because that’s what we are good at. Making wind.

So if this article has whet your appetite perhaps you might want to see if this new sport is something for you. Or perhaps you are more interested in our wind machines. Or the other products in our comprehensive series. There’s something for everyone at Trotec.

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The key to learning is a good night’s sleep

Posted on by Alfred Austin

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.

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Don’t let the cowboys take you to the cleaners

Posted on by Alfred Austin

don't trust any rogue assessor for thermographic reports

Contracting a company to carry out a thermographic survey makes good financial sense. And as far as saving the planet goes, it shows that you do care about the amount of energy that is being wasted while you are heating your home and that you would like to do something about improving your eco-credentials – as well as just saving some whales.

A thermographic report can tell home owners and tenants alike just where the weak spots in the insulation of their homes or flats are and what measures need to be taken to stop the precious energy from simply seeping out through walls, doors, roofs or windows into the atmosphere and beyond.

Which is where the cowboys come in…

Just like in any other branch, there are countless companies or small firms operating in the energy-saving business that do not have your best interests at heart. In fact they have next to no interest at all in assessing just how much energy you are losing through poor or inadequate insulation or building or structural flaws and what steps need to be taken to right what has gone awfully wrong. This is because rogue assessors – just like rogue builders or rogue traders – have one thing which they lack apart from experience in the field and proper conduct – and that’s a conscience. These crooks, and we really must call them by their real names in order to safeguard those who need to be protected, are not interested in saving you money or providing you with a fair service. They are only interested in lining their own pockets and maximising their profit. Often at a staggering cost to you.

According to the VPB, an organisation comprising private home builders and house owners, there are, unfortunately, more than just a few rotten apples in the barrel. The black sheep they identified have much in common. The most popular tricks of the trade include performing thermographic surveys in conditions which render the results worthless and carrying out measurements without the necessary expertise that enables the user to correctly interpret the findings and propose the required recommendations. Strong sunlight, fog or persistent rain, for example, can distort the readings acquired using an infrared camera no matter how sophisticated the technology. And by saving on software which supports or substantiates otherwise conclusive findings, many a fraudulent contractor is robbing himself – and you – of the means that would allow them to provide an uncontroversial report which shows the true situation – and the steps that need to be taken.

So if you are planning on contacting a contractor, look out for the telltale signs that distinguish the respectable ones from the rogues and make sure that you do not fall prey to false promises or fraudulent offers.  A cowboy assessor – just like a cowboy builder – can cost you much more than you had ever banked on.

Which is why you may decide to hire an infrared camera yourself. For as little as €39.00 a day. Complete with operating instructions and the advice you need to make sure that you are choosing the correct camera for your own individual application.

Or call us on +49 (0) 2452 962 120 if you would like us to send one of our specialists round. They are all certified according to DIN EN 473!

Don’t get caught out by a cowboy. Go with the good guys. Go with Trotec.

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The sweet smell of summer

Posted on by Elena Kramer

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.

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

Posted on by Alfred Austin

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!

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