Heat cables also known as heat tape or roof ice cables are often the first things that come to mind for homeowners attempting to deal with ice dams.
How hot does gutter heat tape get.
Check your attic to see where heat is escaping.
Basic steps for measuring for heat tape purchase installation.
Radiant solutions self regulating heat tape changes its heat output based on the temperatures of its surrounding environment.
We get quite a few questions about heating cable here at o e m.
Observe the distance to the nearest.
Heat tape for gutters comes in lengths of 30 to 150 feet long.
You can buy roof and gutter cable in variable lengths and wire them yourself to a controller and plug but heat tape comes in fixed lengths and is already pre wired.
First and foremost i t is very important to understand that heat cables do not prevent ice dams from forming or get rid of them altogether.
The gutter heat tape or cable is run in special patterns across roofs in gutters and along downspouts where ice usually forms collects and eventually creates what are known as ice dams.
What exactly it is how to use it what it s useful for and so on.
Or you could buy a 100 ice dam heat tape assembly from us for around 300.
You may need to add insulation or ventilate your attic to control the heat loss problem.
If there are gutters make note of the number of downspouts.
Heat tape will exceed 100f if unregulated.
To understand how they work you have to know how icicles and ice build up on your roof.
A safe guard that some hobbyist use is two thermostats.
Boaphile has a duel thermostat but it is expensive and these are on off types.
Measure the depth of the eave b note any valleys in the roof c that exist where the heat cable will be installed.
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.
For example you could go to home depot or lowes or amazon and get a pre assembled 120 roof heat tape for around 68 00.
Common questions about heating cable and heating tape.
They automatically turn on when the temperature falls below 40 degrees.
Measure the linear feet of roof eave a that you want to protect.
They can also save you a lot of money in repair bills come spring time.
Heat tape for wrapping around pipes is flat and it must be installed with one of its surfaces completely in contact with the pipe to do its job.
However its peak temperature is not very hot typically between 95º 110º.
Installing gutter heat tape is meant for the prevention of the ice dams not for getting rid of them once already formed.
They will be sold under brand names like easy heat and frost king.