Installation of heat tape

This can cause damage to the heating tape due to overheating. Your heating tape must be connected to an external temperature control device Figure H. Ensure your temperature controller is protected by a properly sized circuit breaker or fuse. Use of a ground fault circuit interrupter is highly recommended and may be required for your installation.

For proper temperature control, secure a thermocouple, RTD, or other sensing device with one strip of adhesive tape so that it is in close proximity to the heater to prevent overheating. The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. New and Featured Products New! Aftermarket Replacement Heaters. Aluminum Foil Heaters. Cartridge Heaters. Container Heaters. Gas Cylinder Warmers.

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There are freeze alarms that can be installed to warn you when your lines reach a critically low temperature. The alarm itself is installed inside your home with a cord attached and running to your water line. You can find heat tape at your local hardware store or order online from an online retailer such as The Mobile Home Parts Store.

Heat tape is a commonly used defense against the weather but it must be used properly and inspected regularly to be safe and effective. Thank you for reading Mobile Home Living! I have seen multiple warnings about not allowing the heat tape to touch the ground but have seen no reasoning for this. Originally I had planned to route the heat tape along the pipe length and then form a non-touching zig-zag pattern on the top of the ground with any excess cable at the pipes end instead of rerouting it back along the pipe.

My thought was it might help to keep the ground partially thawed to promote drainage. This installation will be under what could amount to one to two feet of snow.

Moving into a mobile home community and the management suggest a generator to power the heat tape during a power failure. Power backup for heat tape other than a generator? We never had a singular backup power supply for our heat tape in WV. We would use a generator when the power went out but if your plumbing is protected properly you should be able to go several hours without the heat tape even in sub-freezing temperatures.

Keep it in the coldest spot. I like to stick it against a metal pipe or support beam to trick it to stay warm. The only way to know is to feel the tape. They run out fast when a cold snap happens. Thank you for such an informative list, Thomas! I appreciate you taking the time to write it out.

Thank you! Which left me needing to place heat tape on the water pipe myself. Would it be smarter to unplug the tape and just leave the water running in the trailer or try to remove all the ice and redo the heat tape? My dad spliced a single light bulb into a wire that would come on when our well pump would kick on and turn off when the well pump turned off.

My mobile home water is froze up. Can the heat tape light indicator be on yet not be working properly? I purchased an older mobile home approx. My heat tape gets plugged in the wall in my bedroom and as far as I know has been working fine light is on. This winter, however, the light starts flickering after a while and the light goes out after a while. Does this mean I need new tape?

You do need a new heat tape. I have an outside frost free spigot at my kennel. It is the type with the flip up handle. My line is approx.

In bitter cold, temps below 10 degrees I have had the water freeze. Can I put a heat tape on it to keep it from freezing? I believe this type of spigot has a purge at the bottom of the pipe where it ties into the water line.

I have clay at that depth and water often sits in the hole of the line. Is heat tape safe submerged in water? This line stands alone and is not adjacent to any building. You probably can! Heat tape is used just about anywhere a water line is exposed and freezes. As long as you follow the safety guidelines of your purchased brand you should be fine. Is it possible that the pipes never ever freeze especially in Strafford County, NH? Their double wide is a Not needing heat tape is a good sign that the home and its plumbing system were well designed and thought out during installation.

They may have boxed the vertical pipe and placed the horizontal beside the heat ducts. Thanks for reading! I currently have insulation wrapped around all my water pipes — I have looked at various videos and the heat tape is used directly on the pipe and then wrapped with insulation.

The heat tape will be directly on the pipe and the fiberglass insulation over that and then the vapor tape or seal around the fiberglass. Best of luck! The owner of the park where I live gave me a neat little tip. When you get up in the morning, rest a fingertip right under the aerator on.

I have an inside switch to activate my heat wrap….. I live in Wisconsin…should I turn this off in the spring and summer months…. I am a newbie for manufactured home living…. Yes, please turn your heat wrap off after the last freeze and turn it on before the first fall freeze. You only need to during the winter. We have a single wide mobile home. All new pex piping throughout, no copper left at all.

Located in Northeast USA. We do not have heat going through duct work under the home. Which type of heat tape is safe on pex piping?

Or do you need to wrap all the pipe from on end to the other? At that price you could better insulate your entire home better skirting, new insulation under the home, etc. Heat tape should only be used temporarily and your power bill would be unbelievable…Do NOT deal with the person that suggested you do this. They are idiots. Just purchased a Eagle River mobile home, never lived in before.

We are getting conflicting suggestions as to doing the whole trailer or just to do half. What do you all Suggest? We only put heat tape on the water line between the ground and the home. The heat from the vents and the protection from the skirting, insulation, and belly wrap is plenty enough to keep our lines flowing we are in WV so it can get below 10 degrees.

Add Comment. I accept the Privacy Policy. Post Comment. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. What is Heat Tape Heat tape is used to prevent metal and rigid plastic water filled lines from freezing. Heat Tape for Mobile Homes Older mobile and manufactured homeowners need to be extra careful when they choose a heat tape.

Mobile Home Parts Store sells electric water pipe heat tape. Heat tape plugged into a GFCI outlet. A look under a mobile home. Parallel heat tape on a water line. Spiral wrapped heat tape.