Sticking a UTH onto my tub?

[GeekAndDestroy]

ALUMINUM FOIL TAPE!! No duct tape!! Foil tape is fire-proof. You can find it in any hardware store near the heating and cooling section!

From what I've read, Flexwatt recommends duct tape over foil due to the risk of foil creating a short. Properly functioning heat tape should never come even close to hot enough to ignite duct tape. If so, any duct tape left in the sun would combust, and I'm pretty sure we'd hear about that on the news.

I'm not recommending one over the other, though. As long as the heat tape is regularly inspected and free of damages, there shouldn't be any risk with either.

[PitOnTheProwl]

From what I've read, Flexwatt recommends duct tape over foil due to the risk of foil creating a short

Uhm yeah no, not IF it is properly insulated at the cut and soldered ends.

Properly functioning heat tape should never come even close to hot enough to ignite duct tape.

Its actually a proper thermostat that prevents the heat source from getting hot enough to do any type of damage. I have seen everything from minor burns on snakes to melted tubs and cooked snakes.

[GeekAndDestroy]

Uhm yeah no, not IF it is properly insulated at the cut and soldered ends.



Its actually a proper thermostat that prevents the heat source from getting hot enough to do any type of damage. I have seen everything from minor burns on snakes to melted tubs and cooked snakes.

A poorly cared for stretch of heat tape (e.g. one that has been folded accidentally) can have a break in the laminate, which could cause a short with the foil nowhere near the the connections. And yes, the thermostat is the important part, but if such a break occurred, there could be a localized heat spike at the short ten inches away from the probe, which the thermostat won't be able to prevent. My point is, as long as everything else is set up and cared for properly, the difference in safety risk between duct tape and foil tape is nominal at best.

[GeekAndDestroy]

I just did a little further research. Duct tape has been rated for safe use at tempuratures up to 200°F, at which point it will start to melt and won't ignite until 550°F. This is well within the perimeters of a properly functioning UTH+Thermostat combo.