On Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 5:12:11 PM UTC-5, mike wrote:
On 1/30/2013 12:30 PM, Red wrote:
They sell heating cables of various lengths to attach to a metal pipe
to prevent freezing. If a heat cable is 6ft long and rated at 40
watts, how hot does the cable feel to the hand if the cable was not
attached to a pipe? IOW, could they be used to keep other things warm
than just a pipe?
Sure!

If you expect an answer you need to actually ask a question that
has an answer.

This is not difficult to determine for yourself.
Take a 40W light incandescent bulb.
Grab it tight and hold on. Turn it on.
You'll have your answer in less time than it takes
to call the burn unit for advice.

Actually that's a stupid answer. The light bulb concentrates the heat in a small area while the tape disperses it over it's length.