Radiant Solutions Heat Tape Products
Buying Guide
How to Install Heat Tape PRO in Gutters & Downspouts
Things to Keep in Mind before You Begin
Before you begin, make sure the gutters and downspouts are clean and free of debris and obstructions. From measuring, you should already know how much heat tape you’ll need and have the appropriate length.
Warning: Never use excessive force as you’re pulling cable through a gutter system. The need for excessive force indicates your heat tape cable is probably getting hung up on something, which could be a sharp edge or screw point. It could also indicate that a loop in cable is preventing it from easily moving in the direction of your pull. If the cable doesn’t move by pulling gently, determine what is causing the issue. Finally, if you are not comfortable or experienced on ladders, please hire a pro!
Standard Gutter System
Gutter & Downspout Cable Installation
Step 1:
Uncoil your heat cable in the yard in a large ‘S’ pattern, removing all twists. Plug in your cable for a few minutes to warm it up and make it more pliable. Having the cable spread out in the yard will make installation much easier. Verify that your cable is warming up to to the touch.
Step 2:
Start by feeding the cable through the downspout closest to your power source. It’s normally easiest to drop the power cord into the downspout from above and feed it all the way down to the bottom by jiggling the cable as you go to keep the plug end from getting hung up on anything along the way. Pull the entire power cord through the downspout. If necessary, pull some of the heat cable through so as to allow the plug end to reach the power supply.
If the downspouts are small or have a number of elbows the cable may not find its way down successfully. See below for few strategies for dealing with that problem:
Step 3:
Now that you have your power cord and heat cable fed down through the downspout nearest to the power supply it’s time to run the cable in the gutter itself. Feed the heat cable along the bottom of the gutter under the gutter brackets, sometimes called ‘gutter ties’.
Run the heat tape to the end of the gutter section you are addressing and loop back for the second run. There is no need to secure the heat tape to the bottom of the gutter but we do recommend using Cable Separator Clips (RSC-555) to keep the your heat tape organized and maximize their effectiveness in terms of creating good melted pathways.
Final Steps: Completing your gutter Heat Tape PRO installation
Now that your cable is installed in your gutters and downspouts it’s time to put the finishing touches on your Heat Tape Pro™ gutter de-icing system
Heat Tape Protection
It’s essential to protect your heat cable at vulnerable locations against damage from punctures or cuts using CableGuard (CG-12). Here are common uses for CableGuard:
Power Cord Management
Bundle up excess power cord using one of the small cable ties provided with your Heat Tape Pro™. Use the screw-through cable tie to secure the bundled cord to the wall.
How to Deal with Extra Heat Tape
Heat Tape Pro™ self-regulating heat cable can be overlapped, which means excess cable can simply be looped back in the gutter or down the downspout to ‘use up’ the extra cable. Excess heat cable on installations including the roof can be absorbed by increasing the height of the tracing pattern at one or more locations or by increasing the amount of cable installed up a valley.
Glow Cap Installation Details
Heat Tape Pro™ is the only cable in the world with the GlowCap™, an intelligent LED that illuminates when your cable is operating. This is particularly handy when cable is hidden inside a gutter system because it’s sometimes hard to see if the cable is working. Install your GlowCap™ in such a way that it is 1) Visible from the ground, 2) Not subject to submersion and 3) In an uphill direction. Here are different ways to install your GlowCap™ end based on a variety of applications