Wiring Systems To Heat Gutters

Exterior electric heat can save you money by preventing costly damage from snow and ice accumulation making the system a worthwhile investment.

Wiring systems to heat gutters.

The term heat tape refers to another product an insulated electrical wire applied to water pipes to keep them from freezing and bursting. Heat cables can protect your gutters from filling with ice breaking off and harming your roof. Wire placement some installations require only two lengths of heat cable. Heat tape for gutters will only be able to create a small melted tunnel around an immediate area.

The type of heat tape used on roofs and gutters to prevent ice buildup is properly called heat cable. Disadvantages of installing heat cables. The power supply line can be placed inside the attic near one end of your gutters. Heat cables are a much cheaper solution than fixing the source of the problem by sealing air leaks in the attic installing adequate insulation and creating proper ventilation.

This allows you to fairly compare prices of an 80 foot cable with a 90 foot cable. Heat cable is a similar product but it is designed for installation on the edge of your home s roof near the eaves. You may need to add insulation or ventilate your attic to control the heat loss problem. Heat cables for roofs and gutters have widely varying price points primarily depending on the length of the cable.

For deicing and to prevent ice from forming you can have electric radiant heat installed for your gutters. For the helmets themselves figure around 25 per foot plus the cost of heat cable. One under the gutter cover one down the downspout. The least expensive way to go is a very simple system where a heat cable is applied to your gutters and then is run down the downspouts of your home preferably near an outlet.

This outdoor radiant heating cable system will allow melted snow and ice to drain as needed. Before a winter storm hits you plug it in and the wire throws off heat thereby melting any snow that would accumulate around it. An eavestrough heating cable will simply not be able to handle massive amounts of snow. To simplify comparisons calculate the cost of each cable per foot.

They take electricity to operate. The heat cable will run up the downspout. Additionally they may even exacerbate your ice dam issues with the constant melting and refreezing of snow in your gutters. If you have a significant amount of snow accumulating in your modern gutters above 4 inches you may want to take preventative measures and use a shovel to get rid of excess snow on your roof.

Check your attic to see where heat is escaping. Another common junction box location is just below the roof eave.