should this product be used on a dump line (which does NOT have water in it all the time) from a geothermal unit OR a regular water pipe freeze tape?
644611
I live in a mobile home and some idiot managed to drop the drain pipe for the tub below, and outside of the floor cavity. That bit of water will freeze in very cold weather and back up my tub so I wrapped it with this and it works like a charm. It's 1 1/2" pvc. It will work on anything as long as it is properly installed. It needs to be wrapped with insulation to hold the heat in. There's no thermostat with it so it's on all the time.
644612
I'm not sure why a dump line that doesn't have water in it would need a heat tape. We use this on a regular water pipe on a central boiler. Hope this helped you.
1935351
NO, this product is very specifically designed to be wrapped around the exterior of a water line, in an enclosed area, such as under a home in a crawl space, not in the open weather. You are also suppose to complete the installation by wrapping fiberglass matt insulation around it afterwards and covering that with a wrap of plastic. I don't think any of thoses requirements would work well in your desired application.
1365823
I used heat tape to keep the outside faucet from freezing. I did wrap foam pipe insulation around it to keep heat in, but it was not weather tight.
1796302
Ours has worked quite well with water. We haven't had any freezes yet, but I plan to empty before that happens...since water expands when it freezes, I don't want to rupture the seams.
2186983
I used this product successfully on a water hose to my camper during freezing temps. I did not wind it around the hose but laid it flat against the hose using foam insulation. If you go to the website there is a detailed explaintion of how to use this product in different situations and the warranty info. I would double the length at a minimum if I intented to wrap the pipe, but it would depend on the circumfernce of the pipe. Hope this helps.
2186982
I think the answer depends a lot on the size of the pipe, the severity of the weather, and how often the pipe is used to transfer fluids or if it is under pressure 100% of the time. The other answers all have merit, and the newer heat tapes work better than those 40 years ago. Always insulate and then i recommend waterproof with a layer of plastic (4mil) closed with Duct tape. I did the insulation and waterproofing times two and never went under the trailer again while in Connecticut in colder times.
1492718
All I did was wrap it around the pipe and double insulated it with M-D Building Products 2378 Foil Backed Pipe Wrap and M-D Building Products 4929 3-inches-by-25-Feet Fiberglass Pipe Wrap I bought here at the time I got this tape. I also used a Farm Innovators Cord Connect Water-Tight Cord Lock for the electrical extension and it's already been tested to -13 below 0 and it's worked without having to let the water trickle all night and no pipe freeze ups.
2127786
Most likely not. The product works best when it is rolled around a broken object ir even rolled around leaking flat pipe, one without ridges. I don't recommend the product to simply be placed over a Leak without the benefit of wrapping.
120499
The directions say the thermostat will kick on at 38F and turn off once the pipe is heated to 45F. That means the tape itself will be in the 80 to 90 degree F until the pipe gets to 45. If the thermostat gets stuck open and it is a pex water pipe, you might melt the pipe. However, I'm more concerned about it NOT working at all simply because a very hot tape will probably trip the house electric circuit breaker feeding that socket before it does any damage. Do not over insulate the heat tape. Follow the directions. You want the heat transferring to the water pipe as quickly as possible. The thermostat should be located where the pipe will have the HIGHTEST temperature from the heat tape (that is the highest elevation from the ground to the house). Don't cover the heat tape with those foam insulator type tubes. They are a fire hazard. Use fiberglass and wear a filter mask, goggles and one of those 3M paper coveralls that cover your body and your head as well as gloves. Care must be taken around fiberglass insulation to avoid breathing the stuff or getting it on your hands or face. I've had my heat tape two years now and it still seems to be working. You are supposed to test it with a bag of ice on the thermostat every fall to see if it works as well as unplug it in the spring but I never have. I just check the cold water. I know if it's nearing freezing or not. When that happens and it stays cold, I'll know it gave up the ghost and I need to keep the faucet slightly open when it's below 20 degrees F or so until I replace the heat tape. Hope this helps.
1522913
I think you could use it as a temporary fix for a hole in a pressure hose. Make sure the hose is clean before you apply it. I used it for a drain hose just fine, but there was no pressure in the hose. There is some flexibility but it is a thicker tape, so it's not going to be like regular duck tape.
1524937
If you want to use insulation only...I don't think it will keep it from freezing. If you wrap it with Heat Tape and insulation...yes, it will keep it from freezing. Heat tape works great on jobs like that.
1997529
It depends on how you wrap it. It will do 100" if it is run straight without wrapping it around the pipe in a spiral. Then wrap in alumin foil and cover it with self sealinfg pipe tubing. I have a 40" RV and 50" waterline I wrapped all internal pipes and pipes inside trailer along with water hose with straight run, no wrapping of heat tape. Never had a broken pipe with heat tape. The good thing about this heattape is if the electrical connector burns out the heat tape doesn't have to be replaced. It only cost about $12-$15 to replace connector.
1373897
If you're winterizing a motor home, you may be considering wrapping pipes in the Freeze Cable. This is used to connect the cable to AC. I have several, connected to different legs of my pipe wraps, and they work like a champ.
2167757
I don't personally have experience with this - but I do see Frost King Heat tape rated for metal and plastic pipe at various places (Home Depot, Lowes, etc.). I think it would be more of a local code question, whether it is permissible in your area, and if it has to be rated for plastic pipe service from the manufacturer.
1513736
If you mean wrap the threads with teflon tape, I always do that with any water connection. Works for me.
1731312
Kerosene freezes at -22F. Pipe lagging with insulation will stabilize at low temperature. Don't use the heat tape. It has a switch on it that will arc. The arc is an ignition source.
1395549
Yes, I used it on a pinhole and crack I had in my hot water supply line. The instructions on the boxes only mention water supply on the 4 inch wrap so it would be best to use that. I used the 2 inch because the area in which I was doing the repair was very tight and ultimately I intend it be temporary since I have no idea how long it will last.