Troubleshooting Therma Heat Pads that are Not Thawing Out 30 Gallon Tanks

Updated 01/05/2018 | Published 01/02/2018

Products Featured in This Question

ThermaHeat RV Dump Valve Pipe and Elbow Heating Pad - 8" Long x 3" Wide

(50)

$30.92

ThermaHeat RV Dump Valve Pipe and Elbow Heating Pad - 13" Long x 3" Wide

(50)

$26.21

Question:

Hello, I recently installed a pad on each of my holding tanks. 30 gallon tanks. I feel warmth where the leads are attached, yet my tanks are frozen. Any ideas? Temps are in the 20’s outside. The product is supposed to be able to thaw frozen tanks correct the tanks were not frozen when installed. Not super happy with the product so far.

asked by: Noel

Expert Reply:

Sorry to hear that your heating pads part # 277-000162 and part # 277-000161 are not working properly.

I spoke with my contact at Therma Heat who said that there are a few things that you can do to troubleshoot them.You will want to check the following:

Make sure they are getting appropriate voltage supply (13.5V DC)
Make sure the polarity of the connections is correct.
Make sure the total amp draw on the circuit is appropriate for its’ capacity.
Make sure the placement of the pad is at the lowest point of the tank and approximately in the center. This is critical to allow the convection effect of the heated contents to rise and the cold contents to sink and then be heated.

Since you are touching the pads on the foam insulated side that is why you are only feeling a little bit of heat. The insulation on that side helps to direct the heat towards the tank instead of letting it escape on the side that isn't touching the tank.

If you have checked all of this and it looks good, please let me know and I can help you troubleshoot further.