Heat Tape Installation
In Gutters & Downspouts
Things to Understand 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.
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 cable 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 cable to the bottom of the gutter but we do recommend using Cable Separator Clips (RSC-555) to keep the cables organized and maximize their effectiveness in terms of creating good melted pathways.