Our instructions do include sealing the end of the tape. That is the last step.
Kitedemon- nope, you didn't request the sample. But you always post in heat related threads, so I thought you would like to see some first hand. We left off some of the insulating tape so you could see the rivet connection, and no, we didn't include tape for the end, so you could see that side of the lamination. I assumed you would get it all taped up, I apologize if I assumed incorrectly. I will note that for future samples that go out. It is a fine balance between taping everything up, so that the reviewer isn't able to inspect the guts of it, and leaving it open air where things could certainly go wrong (thank goodness you didn't start licking plugged in rivets :D)
I appreciate your feedback, and took it all into consideration. I was really disappointed that the end was damaged in shipping. Easy fix though, just trim it off.
We feel the THG heat tape is indeed an improvement and step forward in the heat tape world. But we will continue to look for ways to improve.
Rich is a smart guy, and he has a plethora of brainstorm notes on ways to improve heat tape and other heating products. Some of those ideas are practical, many are fantastical, and a few are holy grail-ish. We will have to see what is achievable.
My concern here is really with the pic that Kitedemon is posting, and the lack of context. I think posting the pic without an explanation of "this is how it was damaged in shipping", and instead leaving it to imply that it just naturally delaminates is misleading and not accurate. I will post that clarification each time I see the pic.
I believe Kitedemon would like to see a heat tape product that runs (wide open) at a temp significantly lower. I understand that desire. Unfortunately, it is a pandora's box.
We can target a particular temperature in the manufacturing process, we could make a 4" heat tape that only reaches 90F wide open. But it wouldn't be good for many applications. Once you put it under a tub/cage/substrate, you might not see any resultant heat at all.
It would create a confusing mess for the end-user if we offered 4" heat tape that ran at 90F, 95F, 100F, 105F and 120F. Not to mention I would have tens of thousands of feet of each, most of which (on the lower temp side) wouldn't sell.
So we have to choose a target temp that is going to work for most applications, for most customers, and we are going to insist that everyone use a thermostatic control. Our primary goal is to produce a heat tape that runs predictably and consistently, and I think we have achieved that. Our most common feedback is about how consistent the heating result is. Great to hear.
If you would like to get some heat tape that peaks at a much lower temperature, it can be done. As I mentioned, a cage manufacturer got a large quantity of THG heat tape that peaks at a higher temperature, we met that need. But you would need to order 10,000+ ft of it.
You are also fine to disinfect the heat tape, of course. A damp cloth ON UNPLUGGED HEAT TAPE is fine. Being an electrical component, you need to be careful about the amount of moisture you introduce. That seemed a common sense assumption to me. Having pooling water/disinfectant, or enough where it ends up wicking inside the open end of the heat tape is def not recommended. That doesn't mean you can't disinfect it, just finish the assembly and tape it up first.
I believe that addresses all of the concerns. Let me know if I have missed something.
I am trying to keep the
THGHeat.com site very straightforward, but I am so tempted to add a new line- "THG Heat Tape- Please don't lick the rivets."
Sometimes I crack myself up :D
