Measuring the area of your roof that is affected by ice dams so you know how much heat tape to get is not overly complex, but it does have a few variables. Use our Heat Tape Measuring Guide to understand the process and print a worksheet that you can use to make sure you have all the right numbers.
Once you have all the measurements and considerations you need, use our Heat Tape Calculator to calculate the size of heat tape you should get.
Consider using Heat Tape Pro inside of open drain pipes as that cable is rated for use in wet areas.
Good news. Heat Tape Pro and Pipe Freeze Pro are the only heat cables in the world you can see is working. The GlowCap is the LED end cap used to terminate all of our pre-terminated heat cables. If you see the green light glowing at the end of the cable, the cable is working. We also offer a GlowCap End Seal Kit for field assembled cable systems.
Another quite obvious way of determining if your heat cable is working is to feel if it is warm.
The short answer is NO. Self-regulating heat cable does not turn itself on and off automatically. To do that you need to put the cable on a switched circuit or outlet or on a controller. Of course, you can also be old-school about it and simply plug and unplug as needed.
“Self-Regulating” refers to the fact that these cables are temperature sensitive. Due to their construction, these cables sense changes in temperature along their entire length, demanding more power as temps fall and less when they rise.
PipeFreeeze Pro™, Pipe Freeze Protection Solution has a built in thermostatic switch, meaning it will turn on and off on it’s own.
Heat Tape Pro™, does not contain a built-in thermostatic controller. We recommend adding the ThermaCord™ Thermostatic controller to turn your Heat Tape PRO to turn the cable on and off with changes in temperature.
Heat tape cables should not be installed in any permanently hidden areas.
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Measuring is not difficult and you can make measurements without going up on your roof or using a ladder if you err on the side of overestimating the distances. Here’s Radiant Solutions Guide to Measuring for Heat Tape, which gives a detailed overview of measuring and some tips and resources, if you think you need it.
Once you have your measurements, you can use our Heat Tape Calculator to help you determine the length of Heat Tape Pro you need, the number of Heat Tape Clips you’ll need, and misc. product considerations.
Heat Tape Pro & Piper Freeze Pro can both overlap and/or touch itself in your installation.
It’s fine to overlap your heat tape pro, or have it touching itself in your install. The cable only itself heats up to less than 100ºF at most. This is plenty of warmth to stop ice dams from forming, but isn’t that much warmer than the temperature of your body. Sometimes it won’t even feel that warm to the touch.
This is different than a lot of heat tape that can be purchased at stores: contestant wattage cable can get much hotter and can even be dangerous if you overlap them. Not our cable, however.
Pipe Freeze Pro can touch itself, overlap with itself, or be wrapped around itself on the pipe. It won’t get too hot because not only is it designed to have a maximum output temperature that is less than 100ºF, it is self-regulating –so it’s output adjusts to the ambient temperature near the cable.
Radiant solutions has developed several accessories and installation components that work well for flat and low-pitch roofs. Installing heat tape on a flat roof often requires more unique considerations than standard serpentine patterns used on pitched roofs.
Check out our Case Studies for examples of Heat Tape installations, including information on flat roofs.
Also refer to the Heat Tape Pro Product Manual for information on flat roof installations of heat tape.
