Like Heat Tape Pro, Pipe Freeze Pro should not be installed on pipes that regularly heat up to over 150ºF as this may cause longterm damage to the heat cable. It therefore depends on how hot you have your water heater set to. On average, water heaters are set to about 140ºF to prevent scalding.
The amount of heat cable needed for pipe freeze prevention is determined by a couple of simple factors including: Length of pipe, diameter of pipe, distance to power supply and number of valves.
Most of the time, we do not recommend a spiral cable application because it’s simply not necessary. It requires 3x the cable to do the same job.
Therefore, simply use a straight, single run of cable affixed to the bottom of the pipe (think 6 o’clock position) using the provided fiberglass installation tape. Next, add 1 foot of cable for every valve because you will be wrapping the valve with cable. For pipes less than 1″ in diameter, a single cable run is sufficient. For larger pipes, two cable runs are recommended. Keep in mind that plastic pipes are less thermally conductive so you may choose to use two cable runs on larger plastic pipes to be safe. Finally, if your outlet isn’t close to the pipe you are treating, factor in enough heat cable to reach your outlet (Pipe Freeze PRO does come with a 36″ power cord).
Finally, you must install insulation on your pipe and heat cable assembly in order for the system to operate effectively. See instructions for further details.
Our cables operate at between 40ºF to 90ºF so they will not melt or damage any surface or material they come into contact with. Except chocolate. Our cables will thoroughly melt chocolate.
As the manufacturer we do not recommend using exension cords but we recognize that many customers do it. If you must use an extension cord, then buy the shortest cord necessary to do the job and make sure it is a 12 gauge thickness.
Heat Tape PRO can be use with any gutter system made, be it open, closed, metal, plastic, vertical or horizontal. Heat Tape PRO will work throughout the winter to keep an ice free path open for water so it can escape and move away from your home.
Keep in mind that if your home has ice dams in addition to ice in your gutters, you will want to install Heat Tape PRO on your roof to address that problem as well. Heat Cable in the gutters alone will not manage problematic ice on the roof surface.
Pipe Freeze Pro’s integrated thermostat turns power on and off automatically to the cable to save electricity. The thermostat is the lump located between the power cord and the heat cable. The thermostat triggers the cable to turn on at 37ºF and off at 50ºF, with a sensitivity range of +/- 4ºF. It’s a great feature that makes Pipe Freeze Pro unique among heat cables on the market.
Yes and no. The cable is approved for exposure to wet conditions but you should keep the thermostat dry for proper operation.
No. The thermostat need only be exposed to cold air. It does not hurt to have the thermostat attached to the pipe but it is not necessary. If you choose to attach it to the pipe keep in mind that the thermostat should not be covered with insulation.
No. You want the thermostat to react to the cold environment so it triggers the Pipe Freeze Pro to turn on.
The Free Shipping option uses available “standard” delivery methods for whichever carrier services your location. For many that means UPS ground, but for locations that UPS doesn’t go to –or is too expensive, we substitute a different carrier.
We are based in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul) metro area, so depending on where you are located, your shipping time will vary.
Here’s A link to shipping distances with Approximations of Lead times
If you can’t wait for your product to arrive via UPS ground, Radiant Solutions also offers a paid, 2-day shipping option. One thing to keep in mind: our cables are fairly heavy, which mean they are expensive for us to ship. This means that they are even more expensive to ship expeditiously. A little bit of planning ahead can save you some good money.
Measuring the area of your roof that is affected by ice dams so you know how much heat tape to get is not overly complex, but it does have a few variables. Use our Heat Tape Measuring Guide to understand the process and print a worksheet that you can use to make sure you have all the right numbers.
Once you have all the measurements and considerations you need, use our Heat Tape Calculator to calculate the size of heat tape you should get.
