How Long Does Roof Heat Tape Last

This is a kit based around the popular and reliable speedtrace family of self regulating heating cables these cables are professional grade durable products and with good treatment we ve known them to last a decade or more in use.

How long does roof heat tape last.

Some i have used lasted 5 years and other have lasted 20 or more. Heat cable is a similar product but it is designed for installation on the edge of your home s roof near the eaves. The term heat tape refers to another product an insulated electrical wire applied to water pipes to keep them from freezing and bursting. It depends on what s in your area and to a certain extent how much you want to pay for them.

While this is not a lot of. Replace heat tapes that are older than three years use only heat tapes certified to meet recognized voluntary fire safety standards such as those provided by underwriters laboratories ul the canadian standards association csa and the factory mutual research corporation fmrc. Interesting thing the contractor did for this last home he put the heat tape on it was the long metal type he put a loop of the tape up through the skirting i can hold the loop in my fingers to see if it is warm without removing the skirting which has been nice to be able to check so quickly if the tape is functioning on very cold days. That doesn t mean they won t keep the ice from forming they will it means they will last longer and are more efficient than some brands.

The type of heat tape used on roofs and gutters to prevent ice buildup is properly called heat cable. The heat cable you use on your roof which usually comes with clips to attach it to the shingles is rounded to expose more of its surface area to the surroundings. At fairbanks electrical prices that length of tape costs roughly 20 to run for four months. If the tape is 6 feet long it will use 30 watts when heating the pipe.

Of course they all do the same thing. There are different brands of heat tape for gutters. They will last a season or two and cost an arm and a leg to operate during that time. Roof heat tape quality operating cost paying less will cost you more.

Big box heat tape is disposable plain and simple.