Drain Away Winter Weather Hazards and Protect Your Roof with Heated Downspouts and Gutters
When the temperature dips below freezing, winter weather can damage your roof in the form of ice dams. (Read more about ice damming here.) But even if your roof is well ventilated and properly insulated, melt water needs a continuous path to safely drain off the roof. This is how roof heat cable products can protect your roof.
Heat cable for your roof doesn’t just benefit your house or place of business. It can also protect your family and customers. In frigid temperatures, especially at night, water in gutters and downspouts can back up and refreeze before it can drain. Without a clear runoff path, melt water can spill over from backed-up gutters and downspouts onto walkways below, creating icy hazards for you and your family or customers. For a complete prevention system, install heating wire inside gutters and downspouts to ensure that melt water has a clear, continuous drainage path from the roof to the ground before it has a chance to refreeze and cause damage and dangerous conditions.
What will I need to install to keep gutters and downspouts clear?
If your roof already has adequate ventilation and insulation, you’ll need to install self-regulating heat trace cable inside gutters and downspouts only, to safely direct draining meltwater from walkways below. 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. Heat trace cable is safe for metal, plastic or wooden downspouts and gutters, and it will not overheat, even if overlapped. Cable is available in both 120 and 240 voltages. Choose a preassembled cable, available in lengths between 6 and 100 feet, which plugs into a standard grounded outlet. For larger projects, rolls of cable are available in quantities from 50 to 1,000 feet. You’ll also need components for clipping the cable inside gutters and downspouts. For cut-to-length cable, you’ll need caps to seal the ends.
For maximum efficiency and effectiveness, a complete gutter and downspout de-icing system includes a sensor and controller. Manual systems are available, but they are not recommended. For optimal energy efficiency, add a combination sensor-controller model inside the gutter so the system can automatically respond to ambient conditions, activating while you’re away to keep ice and snow from building up and causing damage when temperatures drop.
An investment in protecting your home today can prevent costly winter weather damage to your home tomorrow and in years to come. Before winter hits, contact Warm Your Floor for expert advice on the right de-icing solution for your commercial or residential project!
greg buth says:
hi, i have about 40 ft of gutter and downspout that i want heating cable in to prevent ice buildup. can i lay any of these cables directly in the gutter and allow to hang from downspout or do i have to install in the “v” shape crisscrossing on the roof above the gutter? thanks for your thoughts. a standard outdoor outlet is directly near the bottom of the downspout and that i could plug into.
matthew@warmyourfloor.com says:
Hi Greg,
You could just lay the cable directly in the gutter to melt snow/ice build up in there.
The cable is self regulating so no risk of over heating.
The “V” shape method is largely to prevent build up on the roof itself but if you’re just looking to heat the gutter up you certainly can.
Paul Sano says:
Hi there..Can you tell me if de-icing cable is safe to use in underground drainage systems such as pvc and corrugated piping as a way of preventing ground water from freezing in a yard drain?..Thank you in advance..Paul
matthew@warmyourfloor.com says:
Hi Paul,
Yes, you can use the de-icing cables in wet locations and it works with metal or plastic pipes.
Eddie Sarraf says:
My gutters have a metal guard cover to avoid leaves from going in. Can I install the heat cables on top or do I need to remove the gutter covers and install it under the covers.
Thank you .
matthew@warmyourfloor.com says:
Hi Eddie,
You want the cable to be in the gutter to keep it warm so that and meltwater does not refreeze in the gutter.
If the cable is on the guard above the gutter itself, the meltwater may refreeze and clog the gutter.
John Hartman says:
Is it proper to install heat tape without gutters? Our homeowners association has installed new heat tape but did not replace the gutters and created very late ice cycles over our deck
matthew@warmyourfloor.com says:
Hi John,
Typically you will have the heat cable in the gutters and downspouts so that any meltwater does not re-freeze and cause clogging.
If the heat cable is only the roof, the meltwater will drain into the gutter and may just re-freeze since the gutters as still cold.
Don says:
I want to install SRC deicing cables in the valleys underneath the metal roof and the cricket on my chimney. . Please advise.
Marye Lee says:
Hi Don,
Yes, the Raychem WinterGard cables will work to deice valleys and the cricket on the chimney. You can find these products here: https://kc.warmyourfloor.com/snow-ice-melting/roof-gutter-de-icing.html
Feel free to give us a call at 866-558-3369 if you have any more questions!
Warm Regards,
Warm Your Floor Team
Pat says:
My condo has de-icing cables on the roofline. I have a switch inside to turn on but not sure if it has sensors to turn I self off & on or if I need to use my judgement & do so manually. Thanks
Marye Lee says:
Hi Pat,
This may depend on the brand of de-icing cables that you have. If this is a self-regulating cable made by Nuheat, then this should automatically send fewer electrical paths when the temperature rises.
Please, contact us at customercare@warmyourfloor.com or call us at 1-866-934-9948 to go over which product you have and if it will turn off on its own. Thanks, Pat!