Heat tape for ice maker

[Adam Hicklin]

Long story short, I had to cut the heat tape connection that heats the ice maker line on a Dometic fridge.  I thought I could just reconnect it, as it was connected originally with a butt connector.  However, the heat tape/wire has a fabric cover, then a plastic cover, then a super thin wire.  How do I connect that thin wire  to the stranded copper wire it needs to connect to?

[Fred Brooks]

    Adam, Fold the wire over a couple of times and insert in a pink butt connector (18-22 gage) and gently crimp it. give it a light tug to confirm attachment. Fred

[Adam Hicklin]

Thanks Fred. Kind of what I figured.  Do you know anything about that particular heat wire? It connects to a terminal block on the fridge but I don’t see any type of control or thermostat.  Is it just on all the time? And an unrelated question…I know there is a basement heat vent, although I’ve never seen it.  Is it connected to zone 1?  I’m preparing for the big freeze in TX, having never had the Beaver in freezing temps! 

[Fred Brooks]

    Adam, As I recall, the heated wire you are talking about goes to a silver device about the size of a quarter and 1/2" thick and is near the water valve. The heat exchanger you are talking about is in the holding tank compartment and I think is controlled by the lavy heat thermostat. Fred

[Eric Maclean Co-Admin]

Adam I can't sleep to the ice maker heat strip as my unit doesn't have the heating strip .
But for the tank bay my coach has an adjustment thermostat mounted up in the bay behind the wet wall where you can get to it presumably so you don't change the settings as it is there to prevent freeze up.
I understand some of the later coaches had a fixed temperature disc type thermostat instead but the earlier one like my 1997 Patriot has an adjustable unit like the one in the link below I know that it says 120 volts but it is mechanical so it works well with the low voltage DC system.

https://www.qcsupply.com/stainless-steel-thermostat-with-on-off-position.html?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google

Hope this helps
Eric