The Manufactured Housing Forums

hi! i am getting ready to inspect and plug in my heat tape soon, october/november. i had it disconnected since april. i unplugged my heat tape to conserve energy and thinking this will prolong the life of the heat tape a bit, or maybe help in some way.

i was told by someone that it is best to leave it plug in at all time to ensure that the rubber does not crack or hardened. my thinking is excess heat is what actually can do that(my heat tape is not thermally protected, no thermosat), not the cool or summer ambient temp. between april and november.

is it advisable to unplug the heat tape between april and november? what are the pros and cons to doing this, or not doing this? anyone?

thanks!!

For the best informaiton available see the article How to select and install a heat tape by Mark Bower.

to admin......reread my message. you didn't answer my question correctly. you were not even close! i didn't ask about installation.

Read the article it tells you how to select the correct heat tape... why would you want one with no thermostatic control? Why would you want it producing heat all summer ? In what part of the country are you located?

i did not ask for type of heat tape nor thermosat. can you read at all? i give up here. disregard everything. i wonder if you can read at all. remove me from your listing.

thanks. for pete sake. it's like playing ping pong here.

hi, I think the post to read was merely suggesting that if you replace your heat tape with a thermostat type you would not have to deal with plugging and unplugging the tape since it will adjust itself (turn on/off)according to weather conditions...

what would be a normal range to expect a handyman contractor to bid/charge for instaltion of water pipe heat tape and installation?