How Much Electricity Do Roof Heat Tapes Use

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

How much electricity do roof heat tapes use.

When it s warm outside they draw very little electricity. If you don t have a gfi grounded outlet you may need to hire an electrician to put one close by. Length of heat cable used x wattage of heat cable x cost per kilowatt hr. Use the energy wisely.

One way to prevent ice dams is to install roof heating cables also known as deicing cables or roof heat tape. Install roof heater cables when it s dry outside and it s safe to do the work from a ladder. When heat cables are used in conjunction with thermally conductive materials greated melting capacity is achieved with less heat cable resulting in lower overall operating cost year after year. When it s cold they draw more.

Perhaps we shouldn t say too many disparaging things about cheap ice dam heat tape systems. Heat cable is a similar product but it is designed for installation on the edge of your home s roof near the eaves. They re relatively inexpensive to install especially compared to the cost of cleaning up the destruction wrought by ice and water. Most roof heating wire products are 110v with rated electric use of 8w per linear foot.

Also keep in mind that you need to run your cable from the nearest power outlet to the roof a distance that is about 15 feet on average unless you run your waterproof extension cord right to the roof. Then the calculation is the same as given above. After all we replace a bunch of those systems every year when they fail. When heat cables are run in a zig zag fashion on the roof more heat cable is need to accomplish what is intended to do.

It requires no ongoing maintenance either. Calculate the length of heat tape and the number of roof clips and hangers needed for a heat tape installation to prevent ice dams. The type of heat tape used on roofs and gutters to prevent ice buildup is properly called heat cable. For a heat cable that draws only a minimal amount of power reducing its operational cost sixtools de icing cable only uses five amps of electricity.

For a heat cable that is easy to install and use wrap on ice dam heat cable is a smart choice. This means that you should not install more than 190 feet of heat wire on a single 15a circuit. Self regulating roof heat tape systems only draw the power they need to get the job done. Use the included instructions download here to calculate exactly how much roof de icing cable you need to buy.

If you choose to use heat tape pro xl add only the distance to power connection that is surplus of 50 feet so if you are 65 feet away put 15 for this.