Heat tape vs. heat cable vs. heated hose

[OneReallyOldGuy]

I ordered a pirit heated hose thru Amazon ($109). When it arrived I realized it won’t work without modification. The plug is on the female end and the manufacturer says do not use an extension cord. There is no outlet near the water source. Also the thermostat is too close to the male end to stay outside of my water connection compartment. I would have to buy male to male and female to female fittings and reverse the hose. The water connection is underground in a box so getting the thermostat outside will still be a problem.
So the hose is going back and now I’m considering heat tape or heat cable. Home Depot has a 30’ heat cable that I could tape down the length of my water hose then cover with pipe insulation. There is an outlet inside my water connection compartment and it appears the thermostat is far enough away from the plug that it will make it outside.
Your thoughts and suggestions please.
Thanks,
Phil

[grafton guns]

I have used the FrostKing heating cable. You buy it bulk any length you want and then add the male plug and thermostat. I find that this cable is heavier duty that the cheap pre-made heat tape junk in the big box stores. Cost a few bucks more but is a lot beefier. You can Google it to find it near you.


I ordered a pirit heated hose thru Amazon ($109). When it arrived I realized it won’t work without modification. The plug is on the female end and the manufacturer says do not use an extension cord. There is no outlet near the water source. Also the thermostat is too close to the male end to stay outside of my water connection compartment. I would have to buy male to male and female to female fittings and reverse the hose. The water connection is underground in a box so getting the thermostat outside will still be a problem.
So the hose is going back and now I’m considering heat tape or heat cable. Home Depot has a 30’ heat cable that I could tape down the length of my water hose then cover with pipe insulation. There is an outlet inside my water connection compartment and it appears the thermostat is far enough away from the plug that it will make it outside.
Your thoughts and suggestions please.
Thanks,
Phil

[wingnut60]

Used the heat tape last winter--once I understood it had to be taped/tied to the hose in short lengths, it worked fine. Wrapped one end around the faucet and covered it.
Also, no matter what the mfg said, an extension hose of 10 ga should have no problem handling the draw from the tape--

[OneReallyOldGuy]

Thanks for the suggestions. I’m going shopping today. No doubt the extension would work but it would void the warranty (how they would know is beyond me) plus my biggest fear in living in my Fiver is fire so I’ll do everything I can to minimize the risk. I honestly don’t know if I could get my fat a** out that bedroom escape window even if my life depended on it.