FROST KING HEAT TAPE INSTALL

Ultimately, being cheap is the only short-term advantage constant-wattage cable has over self-regulating cable. Quick facts about constant-wattage heat cableĬost: A 100-foot constant-wattage cable will cost you around $75 whereas a self-regulating cable of the same length will be closer to $350. This explains why 60% of the heat tape installations we do in the Minneapolis area involve tearing out constant-wattage and replacing it with self-regulating cable, even on systems less than a year old.

FROST KING HEAT TAPE INSTALL

Based on my many years of experience in ice dam prevention and residential construction, my opinion on constant-wattage cable is clear: It is better to not install anything than to use these products on your home. Sadly, constant-wattage heat cable is the most widely used roof deicing cable in the country, accounting for roughly 90% of all residential installations and nearly 100% of all complaints. There are many other dubious distinctions described below. It is hot, hot, hot, 100% of the time when plugged in. Constant-wattage cable gets its name from the fact that-unlike self-regulating cable-it does not automatically adjust its energy consumption with changes in outdoor temperatures. They can be inefficient, short-lived, ineffective and even pose a fire hazard in some situations.īut to be clear, all of these issues relate to installations involving a low-quality class of cables known as ‘Constant-Wattage’, which are usually bought on Amazon or at big-box retailers and installed by less-than-professional hands. Heat cables are a controversial topic in the field of ice dam prevention for good reason. They are a great solution when you use the right cable and a bad solution if you don’t. Over the past 30 years, I’ve been asked countless times if heat cables are a good solution or a bad solution for ice dams.

This is the second in a three-part series. I urgently ordered it based on the description of the item (there is no picture of the package on the website).This is a guest blog post by Steve Kuhl of Radiant Solutions Company. If you look at the picture of the box (below), you're wondering how I made the mistake to buy this, thinking I could put it in my frozen gutters? Two words: Curbside pickup. I called the manufacturer and they said they would work with Home Depot to fix the reviews. This is why some people are saying it worked one year, but not the next. But what if the icing is somewhere else along the 30 ft cable? No heat. I suppose if you put the cable in a gutter and that section of the gutter near the thermostat iced up, the thermostat would turn on. This type of thermostat will not reliably work based on air temperature. The problem is that the thermostat is like a button that needs to be held against a pipe, so it can monitor temperature and turn on and off.

The packaging says this is 'Water Pipe Heating Cable,' not the kind of cable that can be put in a gutter to keep in unfrozen as 'Electric Heat Cable'might imply.

Frost king heat tape