Thermwell Products HC18 Pipe Heat Cable 18 ft.

My chickens were getting awfully cold in their little coop last winter when temperatures were going below zero, so I quickly bought this heat cable and zip tied it to their perch. You know how you feel warm if your feet are warm, and my girls agree. They crowded together on their perch and survived the cold nights even at 20 below. It stays warm consistently to the touch, never overheating or in danger of burning the skin. I slept better knowing they were more comfortable.

This Frost King 6ft heat cable works exactly as it supposed to work!I have a pipe that has frozen and split two times in a 10 year period in a non-heated crawl space area. As you can see from the pictures that this last time I made the repair I located the pipe 2 inches away from the outside wall and used the thicker walled "Type L" copper pipe. The Frost King heat cable was very flexible (after I tested it and it had warmed up) to easily tie-wrap to the pipe every 3.5 - 4 inches. After it was tied to the pipe, I trimmed the tie-wrap "tails" and covered the pipe and heat cable with Frost King cotton pipe insulation. Then I covered the spiral seems of the cotton insulation with aluminum duct tape to keep away bugs and critters that may be attracted to the cotton. The Frost King cotton insulation is Class A fire rated, so I have no worries that this install is safe... especially with aluminum furnace tape over it.When I first tried to test the heat cable by using ice packs to chill the sensor for 10-15 mins, the cable appeared to be a dud... it didn't get warm and my "Kill-A-Watt" meter showed no power usage. Then I thought that the heat cable and sensor, that have been sitting in my 90+ degree garage for a day, may be too warm internally to activate even with ice packs surrounding the sensor. So, I put the heat cable in my refrigerator, for 45 mins, to chill the whole thing down to my average crawl space temps in winter time. Then I extended the chilled cable on my counter top and covered the sensor with ice packs and wrapped a hand towel around it (just the sensor section) to let the cold do its job. Within 10 mins the watt meter showed that the cable was drawing 42 watts. I left the cable warm up for another 20mins to see how hot it would get and I could still comfortably hold it in my hand. After I removed the ice packs the cable switched off in just under 8 mins in a 70 degree kitchen... so this cable is slower to react to sudden temp changes than I had thought it would, but it works exactly like it should, since it is only keeping water flowing and preventing ice damage.

A' Hot" item that I am pleased to own. Thank you for a great product.

This heat strip is very flexible and easy to wrap around a pipe. The indicator light in the plug ensures you have power to the strip. It doesn’t seem to get very warm to the touch so I’m waiting to see how well it performs when the outside temperature drops down below freezing. So far it, on the nights when it has dropped down cold outside, the pipe hasn’t frozen but, it hasn’t really been cold enough long enough to know for sure.If you use these strips, be sure to wrap some type of insulation around the pipe as well to hold in the heat from the strip. Otherwise it will not be nearly as effective in extremely cold windy conditions.

Easy to install - our outdoor faucet in our barn is about 3 feet above ground. By taping this heater to the pipe with black electrician's tape, then covering with aluminum-backed insulation (also taped), this unit was able to thaw our frozen faucet overnight. We applied it starting with the end of the cable near the top of the pipe, ran it down to about 2 inches above ground, then ran it back up the other side of the pipe to the top. The electric cord was long enough to plug into the nearby outlet. The thermostat is designed to energize the heating cord only when the air temperature falls below freezing.I like the materials used to make this heat kit and have full confidence it will keep our faucet thawed, even in below zero weather for years to come. 5 Stars!

Purchased and installed this unit in October of 2022, come just a few days before Christmas 2022, and the Midwest get hit with Winter Storm Elliot, (12/21-23/2022), with temperature at -6f (-11c) with wind chill values of -30f (33c). It has been one since 12/2/2022 as it on a switch-controlled socket (receptacle). No frozen main line yet, and I do not foresee one.PEX plumping pipe. You might ask yourself; will it work with PEX. simple answer is YES. However, you should place the thermostat switch on a brass or copper valve or connection, for best results. As in my case. My feed line is 3/4" PEX, from the meter to the service valve body. which is 3/4 copper with a quarter turn shutoff ball valve. I merely wrapped the PEX and attached the thermostat button to the valve body, and all is good. If your lines are only PEX and you have no copper or brass valves to attached to, use some aluminum tape and create a small base on the pipe to land the thermostat button on.Do you need to wrap the wire around the pipe of lay it flat on the pipe? Answer you can do Both. If you have chosen to wrap the wire around the pipe, do so without crossing back over the wire, as this creates a fire hazard. Lying flat along the pipe will ensure the greatest area is heated.Do I need Thermal Wrap after install? Answer is NO, but it will increase the heating efficiency of the wire. It will also protect the wire and could add 2 years of service life.When do I replace it? For safety, the wire should be replaced every 5 years, no matter its condition.