Radiant Solutions Heat Tape Products
Buying Guide
Asphalt & Composite Shingles
Heat Tape for Asphalt Shingles
Roughly 90% of the heat tape clips sold in North America are used on asphalt shingle roofs. Asphalt shingles (a.k.a. composite shingle, laminated shingle, dimensional shingle and architectural shingle) are the most common sloped roofing material installed on residential properties. The wide variety of colors and styles make it an easy choice for those hoping to find the right balance between cost and performance. In all likelihood, asphalt shingle is the roof system you have. The vast majority of our customers with asphalt shingles use the GripClip™ 325 for their projects because they accommodate virtually all shingle styles.
Heat Tape Installation Clips for Asphalt Shingles
Roughly 90% of the heat tape clips sold in North America are used on asphalt shingle roofs. Asphalt shingles (a.k.a. composite shingle, laminated shingle, dimensional shingle and architectural shingle) are the most common sloped roofing material installed on residential properties. The wide variety of colors and styles make it an easy choice for those hoping to find the right balance between cost and performance. In all likelihood, asphalt shingle is the roof system you have. The vast majority of our customers with asphalt shingles use the GripClip™ 325 for their projects because they accommodate virtually all shingle styles.
The GripClip 325
The GripClip™ 325 works with asphalt/composite shingles from ⅛” to ⅜” thick (in other words, virtually ALL shingles) and is by far the most popular choice for home owners and contractors intending to install heat tape.
Grip Clips™ are the preferred choice for securing heat tape to all types of shingled roof systems for a few reasons. First, they are nail free and therefore present no risk to the integrity of the roof system. Traditional nail on roof clips, which have been used for many years, require fasteners to be driven through the roof system, something that many roofing manufacturers frown upon.
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Grip Clips .325
$12.50 – $44.95 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
The GripClip Advantage
Quicker, Tool-Free & Re-Positionable
Besides not putting any holes in your roof, other benefits of the Grip Clip™ include simplicity and speed. In most situations they can be installed without tools in roughly 1/10 to the amount of time it takes to use traditional nail on roof clips. Plus, they can be removed with your fingers by simply prying up on the top arms of the clip and wiggling the clip free. This is handy if you install a clip or two in the wrong location and need to make adjustments.
The Design of Your Installation
Regardless of the brand, most heat cable manufacturers suggest the same basic design for how the cable should be installed on the eave of an asphalt shingle roof. The accompanying diagram (figure A) illustrates a typical roof clip and heat cable installation, including roof clip spacing.
Although this illustration shows a heat cable on the eave of an asphalt shingle roof the same serpentine pattern is used on many roof systems, including wood shakes and shingles, synthetic shakes, synthetic slate, exposed fastener metal (both corrugated and trapezoidal seam) and even membranes.
Clips are spaced about 24” apart on both the top and bottom of the zig-zag pattern. There’s no need to break out a micrometer for your measurements, just get it close to 24” and you’ll be fine. Notice that this translates roughly into a clip spaced every 12” of eave. In certain situations you may want to tighten up the roof clip spacing, including tighter areas such as multiple intersecting roof slopes.
Knowing How Much to Get
To know how much heat tape and clips you need to get, there’s a two step process: (1) Acquiring a few simple counts/measurements of the planned installation area, and (2) Plugging those measurements into our Heat Tape Calculator. To understand the measuring, we have a simple guide to measuring for heat tape, that includes a downloadable worksheet for recording the info for the calculator.
A Couple Considerations:
Heat Tape, Gutters & Downspouts
Make note of gutters and number of downspouts
If your asphalt roof has gutters & downspouts where you are planning on installing your heat tape, you’ll need to protect those as well. It’s important to make a complete path away from your roof with the heat tape, to allow water to escape away from your home.
Heat Tape & Roof Valleys
Make note of Roof Valleys
If the area of your asphalt roof where you are planning on installing heat tape has an inside corner, you have a roof valley. You don’t need to measure the valley, just note that one (or more than one if applicable) exists. The Calculator will ask you about it.
Pro-Tips for Installing Heat Tape
On and Asphalt Roof
- It’s a good idea to review your project before work begins. One of the first things to figure out before a cable system is installed is the location of the power supply. This is usually an outlet near the ground or under the eave. In either case, make sure to factor in enough cable to reach the location. Heat Tape PRO comes with a 10 foot, unheated power cord that should be accounted for in your installation.
- One piece of advice we offer (and emphasize often) is to “think like water” when installing roof and gutter de-icing systems. Again, the purpose of these systems is to create melted pathways that allow water to escape the area and run to an area where it won’t cause damage. Water flows downhill and as long as your cable provides a path that allows gravity to help, the cable will do its job.
- Some people install all of the system clips first, then run the cable. Others mark out the clip locations with chalk first and install the clips and cable at the same time. Having a two-person install team can affect the order of events and the process used. Find the approach that works best for you.
- Plan your installation and double check your measurements to ensure you have chosen the right cable length for your application. Think through the best path for your cable pattern, factoring in variables such as downspout and power source locations. Some installers use chalk to mark out clip locations prior to clip installation to ensure proper spacing.
- Before installing Heat Tape Pro, make sure the roof, gutters and downspouts are free of debris or any combustibles.
- Check the cable prior to installation for any signs of mechanical damage such as cuts or gouges through the outer jacketing.
- Before uncoiling the cable, plug it in for a few minutes to verify proper operation. Both the illuminated plug and GlowCap™ LED end cap should glow, indicating the cable is receiving power. The cable should warm up to the touch within a few minutes. Unplug the cable prior to installation.
Knowing How Much to Get
If you have a shingled roof system the simplest way to figure out how many clips you need is to use our Heat Cable Calculator. Simply enter the eave length, the eave depth and answer a couple other simple questions and the Calculator will tell you everything you need to order for your ice dam prevention system, including the number of heat tape roof clips. If you can math, most of our pro installers use a 1.2 multiplier to calculate how many roof clips you need for their heat cable system. In other words, multiply the number of feet of eave you have times 1.2 to get the number of Grip Clips required for a typical zig-zag heat cable system. Therefore, a 10 foot length of eave will need about 12 clips. Remember, it’s smart to buy a couple extra clips just in case.