How To Use Gutter Heaters

Gutter heaters will only be able to create a small melted tunnel around an immediate area.

How to use gutter heaters.

Additionally they may even exacerbate your ice dam issues with the constant melting and refreezing of snow in your gutters. It is best to avoid heated gutter guards to avoid these issues. Which system do you chose. How to prevent ice dams.

If heated gutters aren t the solution then what is. Ice dams will form above and below the melted areas. If leaves and other dry debris build up on top of the heat tape for gutters the eavestrough heating cable can also be a fire hazard for your home. Cable is available in both 120 and 240 voltages.

Wrap heat tape around key areas in your gutters to guarantee it stays in one place but do not wrap the tape over itself. Run tape inside the gutter place the electrical plug close to the breaker box then work backward through your gutters until your entire system is covered. The self regulating cable delivers heat when you need it and shuts off when you don t adjusting to ambient temperatures for maximum energy efficiency. Additionally all heat cables should be waterproof.

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. An inexpensive heat cable that doesn t offer water protection is not safe to use. This can cause an electrical hazard. Take one end of the cable and begin at the corner of your roof.

Some heat cables may not be safe to use with certain materials so you need to know the materials used in your roof gutters and downspouts. Installing gutter heat tape is meant for the prevention of the ice dams not for getting rid of them once already formed. Run zigzags to create 15 wide triangles running the cable from the overhang to the warm area of your roof. Run the cable back down to the gutter at an angle and form it into a loop.

Run the cable back up the roof in a zig zag pattern creating a triangular shape that is about 15 inches wide. How to choose a heated gutter system. The cable should form a loop that extends partway into the gutter. Heated cables will simply not be able to handle massive amounts of snow.

Heat trace cable is safe for metal plastic or wooden downspouts and gutters and it will not overheat even if overlapped. Using one of the provided eave clips attach it to the bottom edge of the last shingle.