How Much Electricity Does Roof Heat Cable Use
If snowfall and ice accumulate on your roof, heat cables are an piece of cake and effective to solution to melt the water ice dams before they cause major harm.
Use this computer to guess the cost and length of estrus cables for your home, based on your roof length and overhang width.
Roof Length: | ft. |
Valley Length (optional): | ft. |
Overhang Width: | |
De-Ice Gutters: | |
Roof Type: | |
Region (US Simply): | |
Cablevision Length: |
How to estimate heating cable length for your roof
You will need to measure out your roof eaves (horizontal roof edge where gutters are attached) - this volition be the value of "Roof Length". Enter this into the calculator.
If you have valleys with water ice dam problems, as well include total length of valley, where yous volition install the cable.
Loop Height: we recommend the loop height to be 12" longer than your overhang - this will ensure that your estrus cablevision is melting the water ice half-dozen" by the exterior wall of your business firm. Note that manufacturer's recommendation is overhang width + 6". Still, in our experience this is not enough to properly remove water ice dams.
As well consider that steeper roofs definitely need loop top to be at least 12" longer than overhangs. A 12/12 gradient increment distance upward the slope by a factor of one.41 - therefore if your overhang is 24", you need 36" loop height just to make it line with the outside of the exterior wall.
Loop Spacing: the loops are spaced 24" between peaks and valleys horizontally, and a clip is place every one foot of roof edge. There are 19 clips per pack. Dissever the roof edge length by 19 (and circular up) to go the number of clips that y'all will need.
Estimate electrical circuit load
Virtually roof heating wire products are 110V, with rated electric use of 8W per linear foot. This means that y'all should not install more than 190 feet of heat wire on a single 15A excursion. Also keep in mind that y'all need to run your cable from the nearest power outlet to the roof - a distance that is well-nigh 15 feet on boilerplate (unless you run your waterproof extension cord right to the roof).
Because most people will plug in their heat cables directly into an exterior power outlet, we add xv feet to the total cablevision length.
Moreover, if yous are using a 200' or 240' long heat wire, y'all should admittedly plug it into a 20A outlet. Otherwise, you volition overload the circuit, and your breaker volition pop. This tin can cause unwanted water ice dams damages, while you may be unaware that your deicing arrangement is not working.
Operating costs
As mentioned higher up - you will use about 8W per linear foot of ice-melting cable. A typical 120 pes long roof edge with vi-12" overhangs and no gutters deicing, will need about 291 feet of cable. That equals to 2.3kWh per hour or almost 56kWh per day of continuous operation.
With US average electric cost of $0.13/kWh, yous will be spending $7.25 per twenty-four hours, if your system is running full 24 hours. A total month of non-finish performance would cost about $217.
In Massachusetts, our electrical costs are about $0.23 / kWh. This means that running the deicing cables for a full mean solar day would price me almost $13/day or $385 per month!!!
To foreclose your arrangement from being on all day and wasting electricity, y'all tin either manually turn it off (when there is no snow/ice on the roof), or use a snow/ice sensor. Information technology will automatically plow off the power, and salvage yous tons of money on operating costs!
These sensors are designed for a maximum of 120' of cable length and 1200W max load.
Installation Costs - DIY vs hire a contractor
It is fairly uncomplicated to install this organisation yourself - all y'all need is a ladder that is long enough to reach your roof, and a ladder stabilizer bar to brand certain information technology doesn't slide to the side, and to prevent falls / injuries.
DIY - Hither is a consummate installation guide for easy heating products, which can also be used as a reference for other brands.
If you opt for hiring a roofer - nosotros still recommend that you buy the materials yourself, and agree on a fix price for installation labor only. The reason for this is that most contractors will put 50-100% premium on materials, so yous can save $100-300 if you purchase everything yourself.
The average toll to install 100 feet of heat cable on the roof only is near $300-400 (labor only, excludes materials). When you add materials, at the price of most $two/sq.ft., yous are looking to spend virtually $200 for 100 feet of cable. Thus your total cost when hiring a contractor will be $500-600.
Putting heat cables within gutters and downspouts will add together about $200-300 for every 100 feet of roof edge length.
Remove Snow Before it Freezes, and Turns into Ice
It's ideal to REMOVE snow from your roof earlier water ice dams are formed. While there are numerous types of snowfall rakes out there, most of them you have to printing downwardly onto, and scrape the snowfall of the roof.
This "pressing downwardly" onto a snow rake, volition give you muscle aches and tin possibly hurt your dorsum. Also, if your rake edge (blade) is metal, you can scrape granules of your roof shingles, and harm them. If edge (blade) is fabricated from foam, that foam will suspension quickly, and you will need to get a new one.
This is where Barrage snow rake excels! With patented "snow sliding mat" on the bottom, all y'all demand to do is push avalanche rake upwardly the roof.
Avalanche will cut into snowfall, and blocks of snow will simply slide down! Now need for you to push onto snowfall, and pull information technology off the roof!
Why is ice dam prevention so important?
The obvious reason for protecting your roof from water ice dams is that they crusade serious impairment to the roof itself and in worst case scenarios to the interior of your dwelling house. Hither are some of the almost common issues that a built-upwardly of ice tin can create:
- Roof leaks- Loose or damaged shingles that demand to exist replaced
- Torn off or damaged gutters
- Wet attic insulation that will need to exist replaced
- Mold in the cranium
- Stains on the ceilings and floors of the top floor in your house
- Chipping or peeling interior paint
Typically, if ice dams are not dealt with in a timely fashion, the devastation they practise is compounded - in other words you will exist seeing a number of issues from this listing all at in one case.
The average cost of repairs is $1,500-two,500+, depending on what needs to exist done. Still, it tin be as loftier as $7,000+ if your home will require mold remediation.
Ultimately, its all about the cost. Spending money upfront on an expensive and avant-garde roof-deicing product, such as Perfectly Clear, costs significantly less than repairing damages from unruly ice dams.
What is the BEST solution for ice dams?
When information technology comes to products that can aid fight ice dams, there are many options to choose from, ranging from very cheap to very expensive.
Hither are a couple of questions to retrieve about to assistance you choose the correct solution?
ane. Does your domicile routinely have serious ice dams every winter? If your house does not have major problems with ice and snow, spending a lot of coin on expensive systems may not make sense.
2. Practice you regularly spend money on cheap water ice dam solutions and sometimes roof repairs? In this instance, you may want to consider more advanced, permanent solutions.
3. Exercise you accept an sometime roof that needs to be replaced this season? If so, you may desire to consider installing a metal roof. While its very plush ($9,000-13,000 for a 1,500 sq.ft. roof), it provides a permanent solution to leaks, ice dams and all roof related bug.
Take a look at the chart below that summarizes diverse products and solutions for water ice damming, likewise as their estimate toll. Compare and see which one would work for you.
Curt - Term / Easy | Price | Long - Term / Advanced | Price |
---|---|---|---|
Water ice - melt socks | $ | Add blown - in roof insulation | $$$ |
Ice pucks | $ | Improve ventilation | $$$ |
Snowfall rake | $ | Avant-garde 240 v heating cables (professional install but) | $$$$ |
Roof heating cables (DIY install) | $$ | Metallic ice belt (professional install but) | $$$$ |
Professional person ice dam removal with steam | $$ | Special Ice melting organization (professional install only) | $$$$ |
Metal Roof | $$$$$ |
Nosotros too recommend that you explore our top 10 ice dam prevention products guide for best means to solve your ice dams!
x Low End Mid Range High End Materials $2486 $2793 $3547 Toll / S.F. $6.09 $6.84 $8.69 Total Cost $6086 $6838 $8685
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This roofing guide is presented past Leo B. I've been a roofer for 15 years, and specialize in Metal Roofing and Flat Roofing. Take a roofing question or effect? Enquire me any roofing question! Covering Contractors - join our free Local Roofers directory to get more customers!
How Much Electricity Does Roof Heat Cable Use,
Source: https://www.roofcalc.org/roof-heat-cable-calculator/
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