Single Heat Tape Controller with Sensor (DS8-C)

The DS8 turns hardwired heat cable systems on and off using both temperature and moisture, saving you a lot on your electric bill. This controller works with any Heat Tape PRO spooled cables from 6 watt to 8 watt, from 120 volts up to 277 volts. The DS8 will control a single 30 amp circuit at 277 volts.

  • Controls a single 30 amp, 100-277 volt circuit
  • Replaceable precipitation sensor
  • Adjustable temperature trigger point
  • Adjustable delay-off drying timer
  • Adjustable precipitation sensitivity
  • Bright LED activation light
  • Three operating modes: ‘Manual On’, ‘Automatic’, & ‘Reset’

$360.35

9 in stock

FREE Shipping

Product Details

Single Heat Tape Controller with Sensor (DS8-C)

DS8 units operate by detecting environmental conditions through a base mounted temperature sensor and a remote heated precipitation sensor. When rain or snow land on the precipitation sensor, your cable system will turn on. The small heater in the sensor then rapidly evaporates the moisture, clearing the sensor in preparation for the next cycle. Smart stuff. The precipitation sensor is connected to a 10 foot cable and is intended for remote mounting near the roof deicing system. Use an EX-50 extension kit (with coupler) to put the precipitation sensor up to 60 feet away from the DS8 unit. 

Signals from the sensor are supplied to the microcontroller which determines the appropriate action based on the system settings.  

The difference between “sensor” and “controller” modes is the “Delay Off” drying cycle provided by each configuration. “Delay Off” time is the amount of time the sensor/controller will hold the load control relay(s) closed after the last detection of rain or snow. Proper setting of “Delay Off” assures that heat cables have created a sufficient melted pathway through the snow/ice on the roof. 

The DS8 & DS9 heat cable controllers detect snow and rain in addition to directly controlling the cables themselves by pushing power into the cable only when called for. The DS8/DS9 is constructed of a durable NEMA 3R enclosure, rated for outdoor use and has a 3/4 Inch conduit hub and operates from -40F to +185F. The power pigtails are #14 Blue/Brown/Green and the load pigtails are #10 AWG Yellow.

5/5

“Heat Tape Pro did exactly what I needed it to do. Now I don’t have to worry about water leaking into my house, because I can tell when it’s working by the little light on the end of the cable.”

-Michael P.
Amazon Customer

4/5

“This heat tape works as advertised. It was delivered to me fast, and although it’s a little complicated to install, the documentation is good..”

-Shaun D.
Radiant Solutions Customer

5/5

“I install thousands of feet of heat tape every year. This is the best stuff I’ve found to protect my customers homes and give them the piece of mind they need.”

-Patrick B.
Professional Installer

Frequently Asked Questions

Orders are generally fulfilled within a business day of your purchase. Delivery times depend on where you are in the U.S.

heat tape shipping times

Free Shipping

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

2-Day Shipping

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.

There is no difference.

The terms heat cable, heat tape and heat trace are all used interchangeably to described heated cables used to protect pipes from freezing, preventing roof and gutter ice dams from forming and for safeguarding temperature sensitive components.

Other terms we’ve seen used regarding Heat Tape are:

  • Heat Coils & Heating Coils – Heat Tape has been called this because of the way the zig-zag pattern looks like a heating coil-element (like inside of a toaster)
  • Gutter Trace – Heat Tape get’s called this because of the usage in and around gutters

Yes!

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.

Learn More about How Ice Dams Form Here

There’s two main steps to determining how much Heat Tape you need:

  1. Make a couple simple measurements of your house/roof, while noting a couple aspects of your situation
  2. Use Our Heat Tape Calculator to plug in those numbers, which can tell you how much heat cable you’ll need

See Below


Measuring for Heat Tape

Measuring is not difficult and you can make measurements without going up on your roof or using a ladder if you err on the side of overestimating the distances. Here’s Radiant Solutions Guide to Measuring for Heat Tape, which gives a detailed overview of measuring and some tips and resources, if you think you need it.

The Heat Tape Calculator

Once you have your measurements, you can use our Heat Tape Calculator to help you determine the length of Heat Tape Pro you need, the number of Heat Tape Clips you’ll need, and misc. product considerations.

Yes. Heat Tape Pro can be used on your flat roof and will not harm the roofing material.

Radiant solutions has developed several accessories and installation components that work well for flat and low-pitch roofs. Installing heat tape on a flat roof often requires more unique considerations than standard serpentine patterns used on pitched roofs.

Check out our Case Studies for examples of Heat Tape installations, including information on flat roofs.

Also refer to the Heat Tape Pro Product Manual for information on flat roof installations of heat tape.

Radiant Solutions products, including Ice Dam Prevention products such as Heat Tape Pro and Pipe freeze Prevention products like Pipe Freeze Pro can be purchase here at this website or at Amazon.com.

Including a thermostatic heat tape switch or controller in your installation will cut power to your heat tape in times it is not needed. This will lessen your environmental footprint and save you money.

Savings will always depend on the weather and how often you have temperatures above the threshold that the switch turns on your heat cable. In most situations where heat cable is needed, savings will offset the cost of the ThermaCord and then some.

You can install Heat Tape on pretty much any type of roof.

This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Asphalt Shingle
  • Cedar Shakes and Shingles
  • Slate
  • Spanish Tile
  • Metal
  • Flat Roofs (EPDM, TPO, Sprayed Urethane, etc.)

The type of roof you have determines the roof clips and accessories needed. Check out our Heat Tape Installation Accessories.