AF
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2022
Seems to work fine, but instructions are a bit lacking:1) The clear part is the thermostat, there's not any sensing done on any other part of the cable.1a) So if both ends of the pipe you want to heat are warmer than the middle, then you need to buy 2 of them to get the thermostats where it's coldest to keep the pipe from freezing there.1b) So you're supposed to put the thermostat hanging off the pipe _outside_ the insulation so it doesn't pick up the heat from the pipe that might be sourced from somewhere else (like your hot water heater).1c) Don't put the thermostat near or above any heat source (like your hot water heater) for the same reason as 1b.1d) If your pipes are under your house but up in a joist bay, you'll want to have the thermostat hang down to where there are air currents (below the joists and any hot air pockets that may form there from the rest of the house) so it senses how cold it really is. If the pipe is coming out of the ground vertically, that's the best place to put the thermostat it because cold air generally pools low, as long as it'll get plenty of air cold air.2) The wire can be separate from the pipe for a foot or so with no issues, it's just where it overlaps which is a problem (fire or short).3) The red light will come on when it activates, not just when you press the button. "Cooling the thermostat for 20 minutes with a cold pack should cause it to activate so you can verify that the thermostat is working." according to Tech support.
Customer
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2022
Reading the instructions and inspecting the product it appears that there is no adhesive or attachment method included in the box. You will have to purchase tape to attach this wire to your pipe, as well as insulation wrap and vapor barrier if following the instructions.Additionally the thermostat only turns on below 38 degrees F.I was hoping to use this to keep my metal toolbox slightly warmed in weather 50 degrees and below, so this won’t work for me.
Papa Mark
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2021
The heat tape arrived just as anticipated and was actually better quality than I expected. I needed this to heat an exposed attic water line to prevent freezing. It was easy to install and it appears to work fine. The quality of the materials are good and the installation was straightforward and required no special tools. I expect this to save me a lot of worry during the next cold spell.
Steven N.
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2019
Works well seems to hold up though I replace mine every three years like professionals recommend
Mark T
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2018
2 months in and sub freezing weather and my pipes haven’t frozen. Check to make sure it has power after installation and follow manufact insulation procedures and u should be ok
Ron
Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2018
This product does not come on by itself. I checked the unit in 20 deg weather and it would not turn on until I manually squeezed the thermo-switch together with my fingers and it did not stay on unless I continued to squeezed it. Amazon sent a replacement and I put it on my porch table without installing it on anything (a test) right out of the package and it did the same thing in 23 deg temp. I finally had to put a clamp on the first one to keep it on all the time which is a terrible waste of electricity (my money). I ordered a plug in thermostat to plug the first one into just to see if that works with it clamped in the on position (have not rec yet but anticipate it working). If it wasn't for the winter and the fact that I will have to tear off the insulation and rerun this 45 feet of cable and then re-insulate I would put another one in its place, but doing this in freezing temps is stupid. And I would also have to buy more insulation and tape to do the job (more money). This product has very very VERY poor quality control. It does however heat the pipe when it is on and stops it from freezing. Get the themro-switch to work and it would be a 5 star product.
Taz969
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2017
Went on easily enough. After a night of single digits temps, no frozen pipe.
HonestOmnivore
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2014
Life saver during the extra cold weather in January of 2014. We used this to line the PVC water pipes located against the stone wall in my parents farm basement. Normally the geothermal mass in the sandstone foundation acts to prevent the pipes from freezing but when the outside temperatures dropped down in the negative 15-25F range cold outside air flowed through the (many) tiny gaps between the foundation and the beams, running down the wall and over the pipes freezing and breaking them from the top down. We used this tape on the (new) pipes, laying it flat along the top, anchoring it with rubber cable ties. (Q knot reusable cable ties).This item replaced a 9' section of older heat tape and while FIVE TIMES the length made no discernible bump in our electric consumption. NICE!Reasonably flexible in 25F basement.