Electrical heating system including a mesh heating element

An electrical heating system for use in heating surfaces, said heating system comprising:

• a low voltage heating element comprising a mesh screen formed from interwoven longitudinal and transverse wires, the longitudinal wires being electrically conductive and insulated from the transverse wires, said screen being positioned substantially parallel to and adjacent a surface to be heated;
• an alternating current power source;
• an electronic circuit interposed between the heating element and the power source for connecting said heating element to said power source so as to substantially eliminate transmission of power surges onto the heating system;
• and
• means connected to the electronic circuit for sampling air temperature and for enabling said electronic circuit to connect said heating element to said power source in response to changes in the sampled air temperature.

An electrical heating system for use in heating surfaces comprising:

• a heating element comprising a mesh screen formed from interwoven longitudinal and transverse metal wires with the longitudinal wires being electrically conductive and insulated from the transverse wires, said screen being positioned substantially parallel to and adjacent a surface to be heated, said screen having a mesh density such that the total surface area of the wires in said mesh screen is at least substantially equal to the surface area of that portion of said surface to be heated which is within a perimeter defined by the edges of said screen;
• an alternating current power supply;
• first electronic circuit means connected to the power supply and to the heating element for connecting said power supply to said heating element so as to substantially eliminate transmission of power surges, voltage spikes and chattering effects onto the heating system;
• second electronic circuit means connected to the first electronic circuit means for sampling air temperatures and for enabling heating system operation in response thereto;
• third electronic circuit means connected to the first electronic circuit means for monitoring temperatures of transformers in the heating system and for preventing heating system operation when transformer temperatures are above specified values;
• fourth electronic circuit means connected to the first electronic circuit means for monitoring electrical current magnitude within the heating system and for preventing heating system operation within the monitored current magnitude exceeds a specified level;
• and
• fifth electronic circuit means connected to the first electronic circuit means for monitoring electrical current magnitude within the heating system and for preventing heating system operation when the monitored current magnitude is below a specified level.