BB Flood-Could Have Been Much Worse-"FIRE"

[worktohobby]

Hello,

Industry now uses self regulating heat/trace tape. Not to be confused
with regular resistive loop heat tape controlled via thermostat. As on
our blue birds.

Self regulating tape has two conductors with a temperature sensitive
substrate in between that conducts more and more as the temperature
goes down. Sit an ice cube on a 1" section and only that portion of the
heat tape will get warm. You can also attach thermostat to it to limmit
when it can power up as well. The colder it gets, the more current it
will draw. It can be had with all kinds of protective shiethings, can
be cut to a desired length, pliced together, etc.

This stuff is not cheap, and is vastly superrior to the old stuff. You
may be able to get short (scrap) section from your local insulators,
scrap to them is quite useful in a bus.

On my 1980 bus the heat tape thermostat had failed off, a good thing
judging from the condition of the tape. On my 1987 the heat tape has a
brade about it and is round in shape and in very good physical
condition, I'm hoping this is the self regulating kind but don't really
know.

That reminds me, I should unplug it until I find out...

Regards,

Don Duncan
1987 PT40
Beaverton, Oregon