Protecting your home from harsh winter elements with heat cables

The icy winter weather and freezing temperatures are here and it is important to know how to protect your home. Installing pipe and roof heat cables are one way to help prevent costly problems from occurring.

Many home owners have experienced dreadful problems due to ice, such as clogged gutters. This is called ice damming - the buildup of ice and snow along the eaves of the house. This can cause water to go under the roof shingles.

One of the quickest fixes for this dilemma is installing heat cables inside the gutters and downspouts. They will heat up and melt away ice buildup before it can cause any damage. You turn them on during freezing weather and the water will drain away to stay off of your walkways. It is good to purchase ones that have thermostatic controls so they don't overheat or cost too much to run.

Another area that needs to be protected from freezing is the pipes. When temperatures drop extremely low, many homes are at an increased risk of frozen pipes and valves. Using heat cables, also known as electric heat tracing, heat tape or surface heating, maintain and raise the temperature of pipes to prevent freezing. They wrap the length of the pipes to deliver heat directly.

Be sure to do some research as there are different types of heat cables to choose from. Different features include: self-regulating/self-limiting, automatically adjusting heat output based on surface temperature, constant-wattage that provides precise and constant temperatures and mineral-insulated for high temperatures and high watt densities.

It's also very important to have heat cables installed correctly to achieve optimal results. (RMM)