December 2019
Gavin Davidson
True North Living – Winter Prep

There are many things not to like about Canadian winters, with frozen pipes at the top of the list. According to Consumer Reports, “burst pipes are one of the most common causes of property damage during frigid weather and can cause thousands of dollars in water damage.”

Whether you’re protecting a home, cottage, or business, CBC says that “one of the best ways to avoid the potential damage from freezing temperatures is to take steps to reduce the risk of frozen pipes.” The Red Cross provides a number of preventative measures, including “closing inside valves supplying water to
outdoor taps and installing specific products made to insulate water pipes.”

“Living up in cottage country, the thin layer of soil presents a number of challenges associated with freezing pipes, making it particularly important to protect them, especially when it comes to homes being transitioned from seasonal to full year living,” says Steve Maxwell, award-winning home renovation Journalist, and founder of baileylineroad.com. “I spent a lot of time looking for a system capable of keeping water lines from freezing when you can’t bury them as deep as you need. Then, I came across Heat-Line.”

Heat-Line is an innovative Ontario company that specializes in developing and manufacturing advanced heat trace, heat cable, and water pipe freeze protection solutions for the residential, commercial, and industrial markets. It’s known for systems constructed to the highest standards, providing reliable, safe, long lasting, and energy-efficient solutions.

Heat-Line provides Canadians with top-of-the-line protection. The company’s flagship product is Retro-Line, an advanced, self-regulating heat trace system designed to provide internal freeze protection without the need to excavate for new or existing water supply pipes and sump pump line systems. As one of the few internal pipe-warmer systems certified drinking water safe as per NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 regulations, Retro-Line is a perfect solution for potable water supply pipes.

The most advanced internal heat cable system available on the market, Retro-Line is supplied complete with all necessary plumbing and electrical components for fast and simple installation. The only internal factory-fabricated complete system that offers advanced self-regulating technology, it can be used in all pipe types with inside dimensions ranging from 3/4 inch to 2 inch, including all metal and non-metal pipes. It’s effective in a variety of water supply pipe applications, including cottages, homes, resorts, farms, industrial facilities, and exploration and mining camps. Providing reliable freeze protection, Retro-Line will never melt or burn out the pipe, even if the pipe is dry.

“I’ve used Heat-Line for a variety of applications over the course of a decade and have always found the equipment to be excellently engineered, using only the highest-quality components,” says Maxwell.

Retro-Line is easy, efficient, and effective suitable for above-ground applications when properly insulated, Retro-Line is supplied job ready and completely serviceable, based on case-specific freeze protection requirements. Easily and quickly installed without removing most existing pipes, Retro-Line can commonly be pushed in to pipe up to 150 feet (46m), with longer systems drawn in with fish tape or rope.

Manufactured in North America, Retro-Line is electrically certified to cCSAus standards by the CSA Group. No other product combines the features, or offers the reliability and flexibility, of Retro-Line, which comes with a standard five-year limited warranty.

Heat-Line has been developing advanced freeze protection systems to solve specific pipe freezing and roof de-icing issues since 1988. With proven performance in cold climates, even in above-ground applications, Retro-Line is the most reliable and energy-efficient way to protect your pipes from Canadian winters.

“Given Canada’s extremely cold weather, frozen pipes aren’t uncommon. They’re not only inconvenient — the damage can be catastrophic,” warns Global News.