Installing heat tape on PVC piping?
Question:My problem is I have two areas in my home where PVC piping
used for shower/laundry drains is exposed enough to the cold that it freezes up. My question: Can I use heat tape around PVC piping safely? Do I need to have the end plugged into
a safe outlet (GCf?). Since the pipes are 3 inches thick will one roll of heat tape be enough or should I put one on each side (I know not to cross them over). Thanks.
Answers:
yes you can use Heat tape on the PVC and yes you need to have a ground fault protected plug (GFCI). If you want to do this right you need to spiral around the pipe and put some fiberglass insulation around it to hold the warmth of the heat tape to the pipe. if you don't put insulation on it the pipe will still freezes. you will need to measure the pipe to see what size heat tape you need.
Heat tape comes in different lenghts. I use it on the pvc piping in my home and have not had any problems at all with it. Don't wrap it over itself and once you have it on, cover it with the insulation wrap that the packaging suggests. Will double the heat kept inside the pipe and prevent freeze ups and pipe burst. I live in central Indiana and we had some nasty cold weather this winter and I didnt have any pipe freeze at all using the heat tape and insulation.
Works okay for me. Won't melt the plastic. You neeed to make sure that the tape is at least on the bottom of the pipe(heat rises)and box in and insulate well. Don't know about amounts. Should be able to figure it out yourself or ask the plumbing department in the store where you got it(or a couple of places -when you get consistent answers, it is probably right)
get another piece of pvc pipe an replace the one that broke its cheap and easy I mean they make marsh mellow guns out of it for crying out loud!
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