Solution for freezing pipes? [RE-wrenches]

[Todd Cory]

I used this same technic on my personal water system (2100 gallon tank on top of a 35 foot
steel tower) when I was off grid. To squeeze every bit of efficiency out of those precious
watts, insulate the heck out of the pipes with the heat tape inside. (I used the cheap
plastic stuff) I used 3 layers of foam pipe insulation each one made for a larger sized pipe
to accommodate the previous layer of insulation. Here's the best trick. Most heat tapes have
real sloppy thermostats. All you need is 35 degree water and it will not freeze, so I went
to Radio Shack and got one of their temperature modules and hooked up a small relay to the
alarm output set at 35 degrees. This worked excellent and kept the water liquid and used
next to no electricity. To lower the wattage of the tape for slower heating, consider a
diode in series with the 120 VAC load.

Be well,

Todd
--
Todd Cory
KE6SXS
toddcory at jps.net
Bald Mountain Solar
P.O. Box 689
Mt. Shasta, Ca. 96067
(530) 926-1079


When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion.

- Abraham Lincoln



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