# Heat Tape



## woberkrom (Nov 19, 2010)

I have a customer with concealed drains and water lines in a dropped ceiling that is in a garage.

We are working with a carpenter to insulate the area better and introduce more heat to the area.

Is there a heat tape product that is quite long with a built in thermostat that I can wrap around all these pipes? There is probably 50 linear feet of pipe that need to be wrapped.

Thoughts or suggestions are welcome.


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Frostex is what I use...


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## supakingDFW (Aug 19, 2014)

Chromalox is the last product I used...the stuff ain't cheap though


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## alberteh (Feb 26, 2012)

frost king


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## Coolcanuck (Jan 30, 2012)

Frostex is good, it's at our wholesales and i like it for short runs. Expensive stuff is at the electrical wholesale and is self regulating, 5 or 8 watts a foot. Frostex maxes out at 50' where the self regulating can do around 100' I believe. I've had some controller failures with the frostex but self regulating tape wires in directly to the power source and I've yet to come across a dead line.


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Coolcanuck said:


> Frostex is good, it's at our wholesales and i like it for short runs. Expensive stuff is at the electrical wholesale and is self regulating, 5 or 8 watts a foot. Frostex maxes out at 50' where the self regulating can do around 100' I believe. I've had some controller failures with the frostex but self regulating tape wires in directly to the power source and I've yet to come across a dead line.


Ummmm Frostex is self regulating....:whistling2:

There is no controller only a hookup to power and a termination.

You are correct Frostex is limited to installed lengths of 50' but with power consumption at 3.5 watts per foot at 40ºF to 5 watts per foot at 0ºF would you really want to put more that that on a single cord? 
50' at 0ºF would be 250 watts so when your customer decides to use that 18 gauge cord maybe your installation won't be called the cause of the fire...:laughing:


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

supakingDFW said:


> Chromalox is the last product I used...the stuff ain't cheap though


Chromalox makes a good self regulating heat tape as well...:thumbup:


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## dhal22 (Jul 30, 2010)

Raychem is the only brand I've ever used. Fantastic product.

http://www.pentairthermal.com/application/pipe-freeze-protection/residential-facilities/index.aspx

David


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## woberkrom (Nov 19, 2010)

Thanks for the recommendations.

--Will


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## GrtLksPlbr (Aug 12, 2014)

dhal22 said:


> Raychem is the only brand I've ever used. Fantastic product.
> 
> http://www.pentairthermal.com/application/pipe-freeze-protection/residential-facilities/index.aspx
> 
> David



Another vote for Raychem. I'm sure there are other quality brands out there, but Raychem has worked well for me.


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## Plumbus (Aug 4, 2008)

dhal22 said:


> Raychem is the only brand I've ever used. Fantastic product.
> 
> http://www.pentairthermal.com/application/pipe-freeze-protection/residential-facilities/index.aspx
> 
> David


It's not Raychem anymore. They got swallowed by Pentair.


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

dhal22 said:


> Raychem is the only brand I've ever used. Fantastic product.
> 
> http://www.pentairthermal.com/application/pipe-freeze-protection/residential-facilities/index.aspx
> 
> David





GrtLksPlbr said:


> Another vote for Raychem. I'm sure there are other quality brands out there, but Raychem has worked well for me.





Plumbus said:


> It's not Raychem anymore. They got swallowed by Pentair.


Yea.. And they make Frostex....:laughing:


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## justme (Jul 4, 2012)

Raychem is what I use for the humidity system running through meat cases


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## SchmitzPlumbing (May 5, 2014)

i am taking us off course but... i will not supply or install heat tape. first of all, if your place needs it, do something different so it doesnt need it. most calls for it are under gypsie wagons (mobile homes) set on blocks. 2nd, if i install it and it fails to protect you from a freeze up, am i liable? 3rd, if your house burns down because the tape malfunctioned or a varmint chewed through it, am i liable? if you need it, why? fix the problem.


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## supakingDFW (Aug 19, 2014)

Redwood said:


> Chromalox makes a good self regulating heat tape as well...:thumbup:


I had the rep out a couple of weeks ago to give me quote for a change order to add heat trace on some lines...It did have controller boxes but the max distance was 250'


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## dhal22 (Jul 30, 2010)

Plumbus said:


> It's not Raychem anymore. They got swallowed by Pentair.


I know, I still call it Raychem.

David


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## supakingDFW (Aug 19, 2014)

SchmitzPlumbing said:


> i am taking us off course but... i will not supply or install heat tape. first of all, if your place needs it, do something different so it doesnt need it. most calls for it are under gypsie wagons (mobile homes) set on blocks. 2nd, if i install it and it fails to protect you from a freeze up, am i liable? 3rd, if your house burns down because the tape malfunctioned or a varmint chewed through it, am i liable? if you need it, why? fix the problem.


The job I'm running is an apartment building with parking garage on ground level and apartments above that. There are traps for showers, tubs, and hub drains as well as water lines looping over to an island sink that are all subject to freezing and nothing on the plans or submittals besides insulation addressing this...The fix is the heat trace. As far as liability goes, I'm sure there is language in the contract that protects you just as much as any other plumbing fixture or device that is subject to failure and damage :thumbsup:


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## Coolcanuck (Jan 30, 2012)

Redwood said:


> Ummmm Frostex is self regulating....:whistling2:
> 
> There is no controller only a hookup to power and a termination.
> 
> ...


I guess they're all self regulating these days. I find the frostex just seems cheap, but it's quick and easy in -40. I thought frostex manufacturer says to plug in directly, no extension cords. We usually have a plug at our locations where we need to use it so we don't have to scramble for power. For the better traces I put in a wet location box with proper wire etc. We have electricians on staff, I'm hoping their apprentices can start doing them as they have seemed to multiply :thumbsup:


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## Coolcanuck (Jan 30, 2012)

SchmitzPlumbing said:


> most calls for it are under gypsie wagons (mobile homes) .


I'm going to start using that, lots of mobiles up here


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## MACPLUMB777 (Jun 18, 2008)

Back years ago I did heat tape under mobile homes in Washington state
and I also did the repipes for the homes that did not have it and froze up
both copper and cpvc piping,

I also lived in a stick built house with a overhang over the basement wall
in Salt Lake City, UTAH and every time we got freezing weather the bathtub trap would freeze up,
One time I filled the tub up to the overflow and waited for it to go down
BAD NEWS AS WAS ONLY BATHING ME AND A ROOM MATE HAD


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## plumbdrum (Nov 30, 2013)

If I put the designer duct tape with flames on it will that work?

Sent from my iPhone using PlumbingZone


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## Plumbersteve (Jan 25, 2011)

dont know what this stuff was but its more a fire hazard than a frost protection at this point. 

We use frostex


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## dhal22 (Jul 30, 2010)

Plumbersteve said:


> View attachment 33264
> dont know what this stuff was but its more a fire hazard than a frost protection at this point.
> 
> We use frostex



A fire keeps the temperature away, whats the problem?:whistling2:

David


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## saysflushable (Jun 15, 2009)

I only install heat tape outside the home. all instructions I have read say fire hazard if used inside home. or something like that. I'm sure some must be made for inside houses I just haven't found it.


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