Heating tape/cable on water pipes

I just had to replace my 33 year old heat tape on my water pipe that runs through an unheated portion of my building. NOTE: this is the self regulating type of heating cable, not the stuff with a thermostat at one end.

It has now occurred to me that I should have done a yearly check with my Kil-a-watt power meter and would have seen a slow decline in current draw and heat output over the last few years.

My plan now is to check around October, maybe Halloween, that way I can replace it before it gets too cold here. It did warm up from the single digits/teens to 60 degrees the day I changed it, but that just made everything wet with condensation. The floor had puddles, the ladder was wet and slippery, the pipe was dripping sweat. I think I might have preferred cold.

How long is this stuff supposed to last. The new stuff I got is "easy heat" nothing on box or web site I can find for expected life span.

Randy Remove 333 to reply. Randy

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Randy333
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New heat tape is Easy Heat brand. WOW, this stuff heats the pipe to

120 deg F. That's excessive in my book, 50 Deg. F would be enough to prevent frezzing.

Now I'm think buck/boost or variac to drop input to about 100 volts.

Remove 333 to reply. Randy

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Randy333

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