Which waterpipes get heat tape?

[rancocasrich]

I am still pretty much of a MH newbie but am continuing to learn. I am trying to learn and understand about winterizing our waterlines. Where do I actually use the heat tape? I have read the article on the topic but need to know which lines actually need the tape. Is it the lines that are outside and coming to our MH? Do the lines that are under the MH need heating or are the heat pipes sufficient for that? Thank for the help - as usual.

[Dean2]

Your profile says Yer in Iowa,Me too. I'm not sure what You mean by "lines that are outside and coming to our MH",,over here in the Driftless Area there are no *water* lines above ground,at least none that last long come winter! Are You possibly looking at gas lines?

There should be a main water feed line under Your home,it comes up from the ground from 3'-4' deep wich is deeper than ground frost normally penetrates.The feed line,the line it connects to,and,*any* other exposed *water* lines need heat tape *and* pipewrap(special insulation for pipes)...

Both products must be properly installed to work well,,,oh yeah,,You read that part in the article.

I have an outlet under My home on a dedicated breaker(only thing on that circuit)wich I plug the heat tape into,this way I can turn it on just by flipping the breaker to "on",,the breaker can be marked by a piece of tape so there is no confusion when it is time to turn it on.

Dean

[rancocasrich]

Dean, Thanks for the reply. We are on the Wapsi near Anamosa and our pump is on a hillside about 10 feet below our MH. We have a sandpoint for our water. The pipes from the pump are underground to our MH and then come up and bring the water to various locations (bath, kitchen,outside faucets etc.) Do I wrap the underground lines (how?). Do I wrap the lines that are under the MH too?

[Yanita]

HI,

You would wrap only the visible lines that are from the ground to the underneath of your home.

Yanita

[yourpcguy73]

make sure you put a 40w light bulb in your pump house.
an old deep freeze works good for a pump house.
just cut the bottom out.

[Dean2]

Hi,if the underground lines are below frost depth for Your area They should be ok.I'm near Minn and 4' is the safe depth I generally hear of. Variables do happen tho,and I spose,a -20F stretch *before* an insulating snow-cover *could* increase frost depth,or maybe, an extra cold winter with little snow.

I think,from the underside of Your home,You should heat tape and wrap the pipes,again,paying close attention to the directions for the heat tape and then sealing the pipe insulation well..I used both right accross the shut-off lever connection but left the actual lever exposed *just in case* something went wrong "down the line" as it were! No prob with that configuration as yet.

Where the main feed enters/exits the ground is a 6" pipe(cunduit for the main water feed),it was all but impossible to coil the heat tape in there,,so,,I just let the end dangle inside and "capped" that "ground conduit" with a big handfull of fiberglass insul stuffed in the top.

As to protecting any pipes/pumps/apparatus at the well,,I really dunno,I'm sure there are several ways,one of wich,yourpcguy73 mentioned above. If,for some reason a larger "wellhouse" is needed I would try to design an insulated one that would use the steady temperature of the ground to help heat it,this may be all but impossible tho and was just a thought. The all-too-often gloomy Iowa days in winter make using the sunshine "iffy" at best.

I do know a couple that live very near the Upper Iowa Riv,it is prtty-much their backyard,they also have a sandpoint(I've never checked it out tho),I Ya want I migth ask them how they handle these same issues. If what They do this far north then it *should* work well for You being farther south,again,just a thought.

Yanita,I used to get notified of replies to convos I join in My email,did I lose that setting somehow? I could,perhaps,be a bit more timely.

Dean

[WildIrish]

How can I apply heat tape, when there is no electrical outlet in our crawlspace?

Our MH is on a foundation, not skirted, so do we need to use heat tape? I ask, because this is a 1975 home, so it's obviously weathered a lot of winters without the outlet or heat tape. I hope we don't need to get an outlet put in, b/c money's tight right now.

[Dean2]

Well,an extension cord could work I guess,,but,,use a cord that is heavy-duty just to be safer.Current running through smaller wires/cords will/can heat-up and cause fires if too much power is drawn through them,,*exceeding their rating*,to put it another way.

An extension cord for household use is too small,one of the skinny little outdoor use ext cords is too small too IMO. A larger gauge outdoor ext cord would the "right" way to do it "wrong" so to speak. Far better to have the heavy gauge and err on the side of caution. Maybe wrap the connection/plug between the ext cord and heat tape too in some way to protect it from moisture,,with no skirting the elments can,and will,blow right in underneath,,not good.

I suggest installing the outlet on a dedicated circuit *and* get some sort of skirting built! ONLY use the above paragraph if it is the only way at present *and* at Your own risk!

Dang! I oughta write disclaimers for a living! LOL..

Dean

[WildIrish]

Dean, were you answering me or someone else? Because our MH is on a foundation, and we have no skirting.

[Yanita]

Hey Folks,

I am going to lock this topic as I believe the original posters question has been sufficiently answered.

WildIrish please create a new topic with your question. Confusion always happens when 2 people are asking a "same but different question" within the same post. This is why we encourage separate threads for each question.

Yanita