Don't run the risk of letting your water pipes freeze. It's relatively easy to install heat tape and it's a good way to prevent major damage to your manufactured home. If your freshwater pipes are already wrapped in heat tape, check that the heat tape was properly installed, and periodically check the heat tape to make sure it isn't worn or frayed. To check existing heat tapes, use the directions that follow. It's an important safety check of your home. Many manufactured home fires are the result of improperly installed heat tape.
 | You should apply heat tape to all exterior water supply piping and shutoff valves. Also protect any interior water pipes that run along outside walls or anywhere that the temperature may drop below freezing. How much heat tape you will need depends on the length, size and type of the pipe. You need to know the pipe length and diameter and the number of valves or faucets along the run. To determine how much heat tape you'll require, consult the manufacturer's guidelines. |
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The No Freeze Hose is a manufacture which supplies a custom order hose which has a built in heating mechanism. This is no need to wrap a copper pipe, the installer just plugs that hose into a 110v residential power outlet. No need for thermostat, the hose is heated when temperatures dip to zero degree.
| CAUTION! Because you are, in effect, wrapping an electrical wire around your water supply pipes, it's very important that you:
| If your water supply piping is plastic, ONLY use automatic thermostatically controlled heat tape. Non-automatic heat tapes can damage plastic pipes, especially if the taped pipes are covered with insulation. For this job you'll need automatic heat tape (the kind with a thermostat), electrical tape, and pipe insulation (which could take the form of a waterproof insulated pipe jacket, or pipe insulation with vapor seal cover). Some heat tape kits combine several of these items |
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 | STEP 3: Attach heat tape Space wraps according to the manufacturer's guidelines. Use electrical tape, not electrical wire, to hold the heat tape in place. It is very important that you never cross the heat tape back over itself: this creates a real fire hazard. |
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 | STEP 4: Insulate It's a good idea to cover the water pipe and heat tape with pipe insulation or pipe jacketing. If the insulation does not have a weather-protective outer surface, you will need to cover it with a waterproof wrap. |
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 | STEP 5: Plug it in Don't forget to plug in your heat tape before the onset of cold weather. Do not use an extension cord. The heat tape must plug directly into a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) receptacle. You should find a GFCI protected outlet underneath your manufactured home, near the water inlet. If not, you will need to install one.
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