Frozen gutters can be one of the biggest nuisances during the winter months. When gutters freeze, they can become severely damaged. When the warmer, rainy months hit, you might find yourself having to replace them altogether.
You don’t have to let it come to that. Learning how to heat tape gutters in order to prevent them from freezing can be a small investment that pays off in a big way.
What Is Heat Tape?
Before you learn how to heat tape gutters, you need to familiarize yourself with the actual product. Heat tape is long strips that can be stuck to gutters and roofs. The strips are powered by an electrical source and heat up to prevent a build up of snow or ice.
Heat tape can be found at most home improvement stores, especially in areas where snow and ice are a serious factor during the winter.
Where Do You Install The Tape?
If you have never done this before, you might wonder where the best place to install heat tape would be. Not everyone does it the same. This partly depends on how bad the snow and ice get on your roof. However, to be safe, you’ll want to install it in the following areas.
In your gutters
The tape needs to go inside the gutters. Run the tape along the length of the gutter.
Down the downspout
Homeowners often forget that downspouts can freeze and become damaged. Run the tape down the downspout to avoid this.
On the roof near the gutters
This is somewhat optional, but it always helps to run the tape in a zig-zag formation along the roof near the gutter. This ensures that snow and ice do not even come close to your gutters.
Need Help Controlling Snow And Ice?
When nasty weather strikes, it never hurts to have professionals in your area that can sort out any issues you experience. TalkLocal specializes in finding you local service professionals in a matter of minutes. Flipping through the phone book and calling around are a thing of the past. Count on us to connect you with the right professional, right now!
