Anyone Have Heat Tape Experience?

[GalaxyGirl]

Hey guys,
I made the decision to keep my hose attached to the boat for the winter. I went to Depot and bought heat tape, pipe insulation, aluminum tape and electric tape. I installed a shut off valve where the hose enters the boat so it would be easier access, rather than pulling the valve out of the water to shut off. I got the whe project done, and it occurred to me that I don't really know if it's done right. I have about a foot of hose with no heat tape because I didn't want to risk the tape, since it's electric ending up in the water. Will this small bit freeze? None of the other liveaboards at this marina stay attached. Everyone uses their tank, so I have no one to ask. Has anyone one here done this before ? Insight would be appreciated.

[S/V_Surya]

This a complete judgement call. But the worst that can happen is you have to buy another hose.

[Stu Jackson]

How does the water get to your, now heat traced, hose? If the dock lines freeze, whatever you've done isn't going to get any water.

[GalaxyGirl]

Originally Posted by S/V_Surya

This a complete judgement call. But the worst that can happen is you have to buy another hose.

That's actually a good point. I really don't need to worry about it that much. Thanks.

[GalaxyGirl]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

How does the water get to your, now heat traced, hose? If the dock lines freeze, whatever you've done isn't going to get any water.

Stu,
The dock lines are shut off, but each boat has a line that is under the water so no freezing there.

[Sailmonkey]

It works for an RV......


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[deblen]

I have only used heat tape on land,for example,on polyethylene hose/pipe coming out of the ground(ground freezes to a 1' depth here).The heat tape is taped & insulated from 2' underground to the entrance hole thru the floor of building.The building is heated,floor insulated & building on blocking.ie:exposed to Freezing wx underneath.
If I understand ,you are running a hose from a land based water supply bib,across the ground/dock? & into salt/fresh? water,that doesn't freeze to bottom?.You bring this uninsulated hose up out of water beside ur boat?You have heat taped & insulated from ur boat water inlet?down to within one ft of water surface?
If I have the the story right,here goes:
Heat tape & insulate from supply bib to 2' under water so that end don't freeze.You may need a anchor(concrete block,etc) to keep the supply end down 2'.
Heat tape is "buried underground"rated & SHOULD not cause a problem under water.(Probably against code though)
The supply end would not concern me as much as the boat end.I,personally,would be reluctant to have heat tape in water next to boat-too many "what ifs".
So,at the boat end,I would use a 2' long Styrofoam lobster buoy,or similar,& a weight.Run hose thru center hole of bouy(insulator) & hang enough weight on hose to pull buoy down in water about 18".
Your boat end shutoff valve needs to be kept above freezing.
Water under pressure doesn't freeze at 32F/0C,but it will freeze.
An old trick from Gt Wt North is to leave ur sink tap trickling on extra cold nights.
If ur line does freeze,it may not split,using hose.If it does split,the leak will be outside ur boat.However,a lot of water can be wasted at supply end.
Good luck.

[Cheechako]

I don't know where you are, but the one foot exposed could freeze... but if it's not too cold the heat tape may keep it from freezing by slightly heating the water.. really hard to say, If we get a few days in a row in the 20's at night and only high 30'sor 40 daytime the heat tape tends to keep from freezing if the pipe is wrapped in foam also...
have you considered just leaving the underwater portion on a pendant and hooking up a short hose to fill the tanks once in a while?

[GalaxyGirl]

Originally Posted by deblen

I have only used heat tape on land,for example,on polyethylene hose/pipe coming out of the ground(ground freezes to a 1' depth here).The heat tape is taped & insulated from 2' underground to the entrance hole thru the floor of building.The building is heated,floor insulated & building on blocking.ie:exposed to Freezing wx underneath.
If I understand ,you are running a hose from a land based water supply bib,across the ground/dock? & into salt/fresh? water,that doesn't freeze to bottom?.You bring this uninsulated hose up out of water beside ur boat?You have heat taped & insulated from ur boat water inlet?down to within one ft of water surface?
If I have the the story right,here goes:
Heat tape & insulate from supply bib to 2' under water so that end don't freeze.You may need a anchor(concrete block,etc) to keep the supply end down 2'.
Heat tape is "buried underground"rated & SHOULD not cause a problem under water.(Probably against code though)
The supply end would not concern me as much as the boat end.I,personally,would be reluctant to have heat tape in water next to boat-too many "what ifs".
So,at the boat end,I would use a 2' long Styrofoam lobster buoy,or similar,& a weight.Run hose thru center hole of bouy(insulator) & hang enough weight on hose to pull buoy down in water about 18".
Your boat end shutoff valve needs to be kept above freezing.
Water under pressure doesn't freeze at 32F/0C,but it will freeze.
An old trick from Gt Wt North is to leave ur sink tap trickling on extra cold nights.
If ur line does freeze,it may not split,using hose.If it does split,the leak will be outside ur boat.However,a lot of water can be wasted at supply end.
Good luck.

Thanks for the detailed instructions. I was nervousness about submerging the heat tape in water. I'm not sure if it's rated for that application. Last night went to 30. I left a drip on one of the taps and all is well this morning. I'm going to keep a drip every night and shouldn't freeze. Thanks for the help.


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[GalaxyGirl]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

I don't know where you are, but the one foot exposed could freeze... but if it's not too cold the heat tape may keep it from freezing by slightly heating the water.. really hard to say, If we get a few days in a row in the 20's at night and only high 30'sor 40 daytime the heat tape tends to keep from freezing if the pipe is wrapped in foam also...
have you considered just leaving the underwater portion on a pendant and hooking up a short hose to fill the tanks once in a while?

I'm in Boston Harbor. Yes, I did consider that but we empty the tank so quickly, I think that I might be out there every 2 or 3 days filling.


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[Jd1]

It all depends on how cold it gets .... and water freezes at 32F/0C even under tap pressure.
The hose itself has a certain insulation factor and it requires a certain amount of energy (drain) to turn the water into ice. If it is 30F (at YOUR location, not what the weatherman reports) then it will take some time to freeze the water. It might not be 30F long enough (note that wind chills the hose faster). Also, if you use water, the water in the hose might not have a chance to cool down enough. Lastly, some of the warm water that is heated will circulate into the unheated hose section.
To sum it up, it all depends ...
I would suggest leaving a tap in the boat on at a slow drip which will give you a MUCH larger window of safety!

[GalaxyGirl]

Originally Posted by Jd1

It all depends on how cold it gets .... and water freezes at 32F/0C even under tap pressure.
The hose itself has a certain insulation factor and it requires a certain amount of energy (drain) to turn the water into ice. If it is 30F (at YOUR location, not what the weatherman reports) then it will take some time to freeze the water. It might not be 30F long enough (note that wind chills the hose faster). Also, if you use water, the water in the hose might not have a chance to cool down enough. Lastly, some of the warm water that is heated will circulate into the unheated hose section.
To sum it up, it all depends ...
I would suggest leaving a tap in the boat on at a slow drip which will give you a MUCH larger window of safety!

Thanks for the reply JD. I'm going to leave a tap on drip for added security.


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[clockwork orange]

Leaving a drip does work well. Could you not add foam pipe insulation well down below the water surface to help protect that area?

[GalaxyGirl]

Originally Posted by clockwork orange

Leaving a drip does work well. Could you not add foam pipe insulation well down below the water surface to help protect that area?

Yes. I could put insulation on the exposed area that drops into the water. Probably a good idea too.


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