Do you want to protect the water supply system in cold weather from freezing by installing the heating cable inside the pipe? Agree that preventing the problem is much cheaper and easier than eliminating the disastrous consequences. You decided to do all the work yourself, but do not know where to start?
We will help you deal with cable installation. The article provides a detailed briefing of this process, accompanied by step-by-step photos. The nuances of the preparation of materials for work, the features of the placement of the system inside the pipeline are analyzed.
Themed videos containing expert recommendations on the proper preparation and connection of a heating system at home were selected. There are also tips to help you choose the best cable.
Types of cables for heating pipes
A properly selected heating system is the key to long-term protection against freezing of any type of pipeline. Therefore, before dwelling on a specific product, let's take a closer look at the assortment offered by the market.
The cable products available on the market are divided into 2 types, depending on the type of installation - intended for placement outside and inside the pipe.
Let us consider in more detail the second option, which in turn is divided into 2 types, depending on the purpose of the pipeline:
- for food purposes;
- for domestic needs and other tasks.
In the first case, the cable has a protective coating of food polymer, which does not affect the composition and quality of water, for example, polyolefin, fluoropolymer.
In food heating cables, the sheath does not emit toxic substances in contact with water, which ensures safety when using water for food. True, this feature affects the cost - the product is significantly different in price
In the second case, there are no strict requirements for the type of coating, but such a system cannot be used to heat the food pipeline. Another difference between cables is the principle of operation.
All heating cable options proposed to the user are divided into two main groups:
- resistive;
- self-regulating.
In the first case, we are talking about one or two-core product. The manufacturer, as a rule, immediately releases a ready-made system for installation, which has a certain length. The cable is often equipped with a plug for connecting to the network. In the resistive system, a temperature regulator and a temperature sensor are additionally included.
And in the case of a self-regulating product, additional sensors and regulators are not needed. In it, the semiconducting matrix is responsible for the heating level, capable of turning the system on and off automatically when certain temperature indicators are reached.
Heating cable with a matrix of semiconductors. Two veins, independent of each other, run along its two sides in parallel. That allows you to divide such a cable into segments of the required length
What to look for when choosing a cable?
Before buying, you should immediately decide who will perform the installation work. If you plan to install it yourself, then it is better to stop at a simpler option. Let us consider in more detail what criteria are important when choosing.
Criterion # 1 - pipeline assignment
If you want to heat a pipe that supplies drinking water to your home, you should buy a cable in a food jacket. All manufacturers and stores must indicate this characteristic in the accompanying documents. Cable sheath requirements for systems transporting wastewater and process water are not so stringent.
It is strictly forbidden to place a cable system from materials not intended for direct contact with it in a pipe with drinking water. Such a decision is fraught with health problems.
Do not be surprised, but a product in a safe shell for drinking water will cost more.
Criterion # 2 - cable type and system length
Before buying, you need to determine the length of the site that needs heating. The length of the cable will depend on this.
You should immediately decide which type of heating cable you prefer - resistive or self-regulating. The first option is cheaper. But its service life is shorter, and installation is more difficult, especially for a beginner in this matter.
Another significant difference of the resistive wire is that you can buy a heating product of only a certain length - the manufacturer has prepared various options. Therefore, you will have to choose from the available availability. Moreover, the resistive system is most often equipped with a plug for connecting to the mains.
Resistive system for heating the pipeline. Depending on the quality of the materials and the manufacturer, its price tag may vary significantly.
The second option is more expensive, but easier to install. A self-regulating cable is sold in the bay if the buyer cuts off a certain length, or there are ready-made versions of the heating system equipped with a power cable.
Regardless of the option chosen, you should be extremely careful - do not be shy to require accompanying documents from the manufacturer, warranty card and product quality certificate.
Criterion # 3 - Preferred Product Power
In order for the installed cable to heat the communications, you need to choose the right power. This characteristic is also indicated by the manufacturer.
For water systems use pipes with a diameter of up to 32 mm, for which it is recommended to use heating systems for 9-16 watts. Moreover, this is the power of one running meter. To calculate the total value, you need to multiply the specified parameter by the entire cable length.
It is preferable to use a cable with the ability to adjust the level of heating yourself. These are more advanced and new developments, such cables are actively used in domestic conditions.
Moreover, experts do not recommend buying a resistive type of product in order to save money, considering the latter to be less reliable for installation inside the pipeline.
Criterion # 4 - the cost of the heating system
As for the cost, this criterion is also important: you cannot buy too cheap a cable. The rule “good cannot be cheap” in the choice of cable fully confirms itself.
If the price is very low for the cable system you like and there are documents from the manufacturer, you must pay attention to the expiration date - an unscrupulous seller may offer an expired product, or it expires in 6-12 months.
It is better to refuse such a “profitable” offer - at the end of the warranty the cable may cease to fulfill its functions and it will have to be replaced, which may result in repeated costs.
The price of a self-regulating product is directly affected by the quality of the matrix. On which the service life directly depends, as stated by the manufacturer. For example, Caleo's xLayder-EHL product has a 3-year warranty and a 20-year warranty.
Also, when choosing a cable for internal heating, it is better to give preference to well-known manufacturers:
- German - Eltherm Gmbh (Germany);
- American - Raychem and Heat Trace Products, LLC;
- Korean - Caleo
- French - Eltrace
- Danish - Devi;
- Finnish - Ensto.
There are many Japanese-made products on the market for heating plumbing. Here you should also be careful not to buy a cheap Chinese fake. In addition to the wires and seals, you need to choose high-quality.
Pay attention to the cross-sectional shape inside the sealing gum - it can be round and rectangular / square for different cable cross-sections. It is very important to buy reliable coupling elements - their price should be no less than 5 m of cable. In the matter of heating the pipe, do not save excessively.
Steps for installing a heating system
Consider the arrangement of a system for heating the pipeline from the inside using the example of water supply. For such a pipe, it is best to take a self-regulating wire in a food sheath.
Stage # 1 - buying the right materials
When buying a cable, we immediately determine with the right footage, which is equal to the length of the pipe that needs heating. Together with the cable, it is better to purchase the consumables necessary for installation: a set of couplings, an oil seal and a section of wire with a euro plug.
Image Gallery
Photo from
Metal braided heating wire
Set for connection and insulation of wires
Feed-through system for cable entry into the pipeline
Power cable with euro plug
In addition, a tee can be useful if it is not standing in the intended installation location, and an RCD of 10 mA. A tee is needed to correctly enter the cable. The latter must not be allowed through a pipe passing through a bend at a right angle. Therefore, in the place of the proposed entrance, it is better to first install a tee and then enter through it.
A self-regulating cable requires power to operate. Therefore, a separate line is highlighted for him. And, despite the presence of double insulation on the heating wire, it is necessary to include an RCD and a circuit breaker in the wiring diagram, protecting this line in case of accidental damage to the shell.
Stage # 2 - preparing the cable for installation
It must be remembered that self-regulating cable systems die not only from frequent turning on and off the cable. No less evil - improper splicing with the power cable and poor-quality termination, which is fraught with a short circuit.
It is necessary to properly isolate using good consumables. There are bad couplings when the manufacturer has not enough glue. Still, the reason lies in the hands of the master, especially if he connected everything without experience and incorrectly.
To prepare the heating wire for entry into the pipeline, you need:
- perform termination;
- put on the cable kit;
- splicing the supply wire with a plug with a self-adjusting length.
Let us consider in more detail how to properly make the insulation of the end of the wire.
Image Gallery
Photo from
First, we remove the upper insulation shell by about 4.5 cm. Metal braid cores are not required for grounding on this side, so we cut them flush with the insulating sheath
Remove the shell from the matrix, acting carefully so as not to damage the conductors from its two ends. Then we cut off a part of the matrix with the conductor as a step - one will be shorter and the second longer
We put on heat-shrink adhesive on this site and carefully heat it with a building hair dryer. Then crimp, if there is no special tool, you can take pliers. We wait until it cools down, cut off the excess
Now we put the heat-shrink sleeve of the largest diameter on top of the previous sleeve, putting it further on the cable sheath. We warm, squeeze, remove excess. Or you can use a shrink cap
Braid cores are cut flush with an insulating sheath
Shortening one side of the matrix
Use of pliers to crimp a heated heat shrink tube
Full insulation of the end of the heating cable with a large heat shrink tube
If each step of the termination is completed carefully, then tightness of this unit will be ensured. True, subject to the use of a reliable adhesive set of couplings from a trusted manufacturer.
Now it is necessary to carry out the splicing of the power cable with the heating one, in order to provide the latter with the power supply that he needs to work.
It is necessary to prepare a power cable in advance, at the end of which a euro plug, cutting the cores to make a connection to the heating wire. It is important to free each of them from the shell, to clean the insulation
But at this stage it will be more convenient to put on an oil seal or it is also called penetration or a passage kit. Each part should be worn clearly following the instructions supplied by the manufacturer.
Having put the penetration on the wire, you can proceed to splicing with the power cable. If you purchased a ready-made kit in which a piece of cable with a plug at the end is already connected, then you do not need this step.
Image Gallery
Photo from
We remove the outer protective sheath, cutting it laterally by 4.5 cm, and we untwist all the wires of the metal braid from tinned copper conductors and twist them together into one core. They cannot be removed - they will soon be needed to provide grounding
Then we remove the insulation from the elastomeric material, stepping back about 2.5 cm from the outer edge. We remove carefully so as not to damage the conductors. We remove 2.5 cm of the polyester shell on this segment, reaching the self-regulating matrix with two conductors
Now you need to remove 2 conductive wires from the matrix, stripping from the end on one and the other side of the cable. Or you can heat the tire with a hairdryer, making a preliminary cut at the desired distance, and remove the soft area with pliers. We release the veins and remove the extra portion of the matrix
We put on the 2 longest adhesive couplings. The tube of a smaller diameter is placed on the power cable and we move it so far to the side. Similarly, we put the heat shrink of a larger diameter from the kit onto the heating wire and move it to the side
We put on the ends of two veins of the heating cable along a tinned copper sleeve (crimp) and crimp each, and on the other hand we insert the ends of the stripped conductive wires from the power cable into the sleeves and carefully crimp using the tool. If not, pliers can be used.
Having squeezed the connection with the conductive wires well, we push on top the smaller diameter couplings, which on the side were waiting in the wings and we took out the building hair dryer. The insulating material on each sleeve must be carefully warmed up, starting from the center and moving smoothly to the edges
Now you need to connect the braid twist with the residential earth of the power wire. First try them on the sleeve and cut off the excess. Then put on the sleeve and squeeze well, like the previous two joints. Then move the heat shrink and also isolate the assembly
It remains to isolate the grounding unit by moving the outer shrink tube of a larger diameter to this connection. Warm well with a hairdryer, starting from the center and moving to the edges until shiny drops of glue appear. Or you can use a lighter, but proceed with caution
The upper insulation sheath was removed from the end of the cable.
Removal of protective shells from a semiconductor matrix
Conductors are exempt from the matrix
Heat-shrink tubing worn on heating and power cable
The heating and supply wires are connected using a crimp sleeve.
Insulation of wire connections by heat shrink tubes
Splicing of the cable braid with the grounding of the supply wire
Joint isolation
After waiting for the cooling of the heat shrink sleeves supplied to isolate the joint, you can proceed to the next step.
Stage # 3 - placing the system inside the pipe
When the preparation of the heating system is completed, you can enter into the pipeline.
To do this, you must adhere to these rules:
- start the cable only through the tee;
- avoid areas with right and sharp corners;
- Do not jerk sharply or use force.
Input begins by pushing the insulated end through the tee into the water pipe. Having pushed the entire length of the heating cable into the pipe, it is necessary to ensure tightness at the entry point.
Diagram of the system input into the pipe using a penetration - passage kit / gland.This kit consists of one sleeve with external and internal, one sleeve with external thread only, two brass washers and one rubber or silicone seal with a hole in the center
At this stage of the cable installation, penetration is useful to ensure the tightness of the system. It is necessary to carefully tighten all the fasteners by wrapping the clamping sleeve first with your hands, and then tightening the connection with a wrench.
The rubber seal inside the gland is flattened, thereby ensuring tightness.
Before sealing the entrance, make sure that the penetration does not touch the coupling - the splicing area of the power cable with the heating must be removed from the sleeve with an external thread by 5-10 cm
Before placing the heating system, you need to make sure that the cable will not pass through the stop valves, which is strictly forbidden to do.
Stage # 4 - connection to the power supply system
After completing installation work, it remains to connect to the mains. To do this, it is advisable to use a separate line.
Here it will not be amiss to take care of safety and equip this line of RCD with 10 mA. This solution will protect against current leakage if a wire accident occurs. RCD simply de-energizes the line, preventing the defeat of the owner of the house and all family members.
The connection process is extremely simple - it is necessary to turn on the euro plug located at the end of the power wire, which we connected to the heating one, into the outlet. Moreover, it is not necessary to turn off the temperature and periodically turn off the heating system - thanks to the self-regulating matrix, this process will take place automatically.
The heating cable is activated if the temperature of the liquid in the pipe drops to +5 ° C. And it will work by heating the water supply until the water temperature reaches +15 ° C
This completes the connection. But for the system to last a long time, it should be properly operated. It is extremely undesirable to disconnect the cable from the outlet without the need - these actions will significantly shorten her "life". The self-regulating matrix will fail, not having time to work out the set time.
In order to save, it is better to provide additional heating for the pipeline, especially if the pipe section extends over the surface. It is advisable to additionally insulate it from the outside by wearing a special casing of heat-insulating material.
There are a lot of insulation options for pipes outside - here you can choose the most preferred one for yourself. Yes, and installation can be done on their own. With a self-regulating wire power of 10, 16, 24 W per linear meter, the heating cable thread from the GWS line can have a length of up to 100 m.
But in practice, they often use a system up to 20 m long. What manufacturers have noticed, offering ready-made systems for heating, both from a resistive cable and from a cable with a self-regulating matrix, 5, 10, 20 m long.
Features of various types of cables from manufacturers and recommendations for future buyers:
Information about the end insulation and detailed instruction on splicing with the supply wire in the following clip:
When choosing good materials and observing the installation technology, you can independently install it inside the pipe and connect the heating cable. It is important at the same time to carefully perform each step, reliably connect the conductors and ensure tightness.
And the above expert advice and video instructions will help to understand in detail the installation process for home craftsmen who do not have experience in performing such work. If you doubt your own abilities, then it is easier to turn to an experienced master, who is praised and recommended by friends and other grateful clients.
Please write comments in the block below, ask questions, post a photo on the topic of the article. Tell us about how you installed the heating cable yourself or your friends equipped their pipeline. It is possible that your information will be useful to site visitors.