How To Install Heat Tape In Gutters And Downspouts

The term heat tape refers to another product an insulated electrical wire applied to water pipes to keep them from freezing and bursting.

How to install heat tape in gutters and downspouts.

Run tape inside the gutter. If you don t have gutter heater system sometime during the winter you ll notice water leaking from the attic into your living room. Attach to breaker box. It s not the icicles that cause the damage it s the ice and water you can t see that will cause you the most problems.

One aspect you need to consider is spacing depending on the pitch of the roof and the length of the soffit. How to install heat tape deicier cable on your roof for eaves and gutters and downspouts for snow and ice removal. We also need to consider the amount of electricity the heated cable will draw. Heat cable is a similar product but it is designed for installation on the edge of your home s roof near the eaves.

If you install heat tape on a leaky gutter you could be risking further damage to the. How to install heat tape. How to melt ice and snow on your eaves an. So a single story downspout is calculated as 15 feet of heat tape a 2 story is calculated as 25 feet of heat tape and a 3 story is calculated as 35 feet of heat tape.

We typically have to install an exterior outlet in the soffit to plug the heat cable into. Heat trace cable is safe for metal plastic or wooden downspouts and gutters and it will not overheat even if overlapped. Choose a preassembled cable available in lengths between 6 and 100 feet which plugs into a standard grounded outlet. The type of heat tape used on roofs and gutters to prevent ice buildup is properly called heat cable.

Reinforce with electrical tape. When installing heat tape there are many things to consider. Look for leaks breaks and more. These numbers are multiplied by the quantity of downspouts to arrive at the amount of heat tape you ll need to cover your downspouts.

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.