The difference between heating cable and heat tape for heat trace is in their technology, safety, and performance, with self-regulating heating cables offering superior advantages for heat trace applications.
Self-regulating heating cables, used in all Heat-Line products, adjust their heat output based on the surrounding temperature. This technology allows them to increase heat output on section of pipe that are cold and decrease heat output on sections of pipe that are warm. This feature provides superior safety, reliability, and energy efficiency by eliminating the risk of overheating and conserving energy. With no risk of overheating, these cables can be safely insulated, which further improves energy efficiency and performance in extremely cold conditions.
Constant wattage heat tape for heat trace provides a fixed amount of heat regardless of temperature fluctuations. Commonly found in hardware stores and online low-cost retailers, heat tape attempts to serve similar purposes but lacks the safety, reliability and longevity of self-regulating heating cables. Its constant heat output can lead to overheating, melting and may even result in fire. Heat tape is often not safe to insulate consumes greater amounts of energy to operate.
Self-regulating heating cables stand as the superior option for heat trace applications due to their advanced technology and performance.