Gutter Heaters

[ch33zw1z]

Since I'm getting sick of chipping away at Ice Damns in my gutters, I think it's time for gutter heaters...gettting ready for next year.

Anyone use gutter heaters and/or have recommendations?

 

[manimal]

is snuggling with a hobo the same?

 

[ch33zw1z]

is snuggling with a hobo the same?

only if he'll clear the ice damns after.

 

[Fritzo]

Isn't ice in gutters a result of heat escaping from your roof? Seems like roof vents would fix that. Not sure of your situation though.

Do you get large icicles from your gutters too?

 

[sdifox]

why would that help unless you heat the down spout too?

 

[ch33zw1z]

Isn't ice in gutters a result of heat escaping from your roof? Seems like roof vents would fix that. Not sure of your situation though.

Do you get large icicles from your gutters too?

ice in gutters is a multiple source problem.

1. Snow in your gutters, can't drain fast enough or at all due to temps, melts then freezes

2. Heat escaping through the roof causes the snow to melt faster, and turns to ice overnight, creating bigger ice damns in the gutters. At this point, I can't put more insulation in the attic...right now.

I roof rake the 2-3 feet on the edge. And when I got the roof done a few years ago I had the contractor put ice/water shield on almost the entire roof (have a standard ranch, nothing crazy).

This year, i didn't roof rake enough, so now there's quite a bit of ice in the gutters. My thought is that if I can keep the gutters melted, then the rest of the melt will have a better place to go, aka the gutter drains.

 

[Markbnj]

Isn't ice in gutters a result of heat escaping from your roof? Seems like roof vents would fix that. Not sure of your situation though.

Do you get large icicles from your gutters too?

Yeah, basically heat escaping from the roof melts the snow, the water flows down under the snowpack and then refreezes when it hits the gutter.

I don't think vents will help, mainly because I have a ridge vent and soffet vents and I still have this problem. What you want is for the roof to be cold, but it's pretty hard to keep heat out of the attic. In our case we have good insulation, but the second story ceiling is pierced by a whole house fan, an intake/filter for the AC air handler, and a fold-down stairway. I build an insulated box that caps the stairway hole, but the other two are impossible to insulate, so we still get a lot of heat escaping up there.

No experience with gutter heaters. Every time I look into them I end up deciding they would be more trouble than they are worth.

 

[ch33zw1z]

why would that help unless you heat the down spout too?

since it's just a heated coil rope, buying to 100 footers, one for each gutter, and feeding them down the down spouts may not be such a bad idea.

 

[ch33zw1z]

I don't think vents will help, mainly because I have a ridge vent and soffet vents and I still have this problem. What you want is for the roof to be cold, but it's pretty hard to keep heat out of the attic. In our case we have good insulation, but the second story ceiling is pierced by a whole house fan, an intake/filter for the AC air handler, and a fold-down stairway. I build an insulated box that caps the stairway hole, but the other two are impossible to insulate, so we still get a lot of heat escaping up there.

our bathroom fan used to vent out of the roof, it was causing problems. when I had the roof redone, the vent was moved to the soffett instead. It's less problematic now.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Funny I didn't have any problems with ice dams until I had my walls insulated. Seems like the added insulation in the walls & attic slowed the heat loss so much that now ice forms. From what I have read the only long term solution is to ventilate the attic more. I predict a major pain in the ass job coming up the spring/summer for me.

 

[Markbnj]

our bathroom fan used to vent out of the roof, it was causing problems. when I had the roof redone, the vent was moved to the soffett instead. It's less problematic now.

When we moved in ours was vented directly to the attic, believe it or not. When I had the roof done I had vent pipes put in, so now it vents through a 12" or so PVC pipe that sticks straight up.

 

[TheSlamma]

Roof rake with wheels works great for me. Then I use heat tape in the gutters and downspouts so they don't freeze.

 

[ch33zw1z]

What is heat tape? going to look...

 

[TheSlamma]

What is heat tape? going to look...

http://www.globalindustrial.com/p/o...mpaignId=T9F&gclid=CI7Gj4HC07wCFY1FMgodXWcA7A

heat tape, heat cable same stuff just different name

 

[ch33zw1z]

ok, thanks. This is on my to do list for this year. I wasn't sure about the edge of roof heaters, but that would probably make it so I didn't have to roof rake too much.

 

[gorcorps]

This may be a stupid question (as is my way) but what is the actual issue you're trying to prevent? Icicles that are a potential safety hazard? Gutters breaking because of ice?

 

[Markbnj]

This may be a stupid question (as is my way) but what is the actual issue you're trying to prevent? Icicles that are a potential safety hazard? Gutters breaking because of ice?

All of the above, plus the potential for water getting into the attic, soffet, walls, etc. I've had water dripping from the light fixtures in the kitchen due to an ice dam two stories above.

 

[ch33zw1z]

This may be a stupid question (as is my way) but what is the actual issue you're trying to prevent? Icicles that are a potential safety hazard? Gutters breaking because of ice?

like Mark said, water damage prevention. Water damage is often unseen, and costly when found.

 

[gorcorps]

All of the above, plus the potential for water getting into the attic, soffet, walls, etc. I've had water dripping from the light fixtures in the kitchen due to an ice dam two stories above.

like Mark said, water damage prevention. Water damage is often unseen, and costly when found.

I see

So it's not really the gutters themselves but just the water/ice that's being kept on the roof because the gutters aren't clear

 

[ch33zw1z]

Yep. The goal is to give the water a good place to go, and not just pool at the edge of the roof, backing up and getting into the house. If you roof rake asap after a snow storm, the gutters are likely to melt and drain quickly. miss one time, and you could have ice in the gutter that is a real pitb to clear.

 

[Markbnj]

I see

So it's not really the gutters themselves but just the water/ice that's being kept on the roof because the gutters aren't clear

Essentially, yeah. The melt water hits the metal gutters and refreezes, clogging the path, and forcing water to back up behind it under the snowpack. That water can work its way back up under shingles, which is the reason ice shield is used under the lower 3' of shingles or so. It can also get back under the drip edge and drain into the eves above the soffet, and from there it can go freaking anywhere. Usually straight down (you'll sometimes see ice coming from the siding, a situation I have right now), but it can hit a joist and head for the middle of a room too.

 

[iRONic]

Temporary solution; Fill the leg of discarded pair of panty hose with a calcium chloride ice melter. Lay the hose onto the roof so it crosses the ice dam and overhangs the gutter. If necessary, use a long-handled garden rake or hoe (she'll STFU eventually) to push it into position. The calcium chloride will eventually melt through the snow and ice and create a channel for water to flow down into the gutters or off the roof.

 

[TheSiege]

I have 60 feet of pipe heat trace in mine. It gets really warm here and then really cold quickly. Anyway, it works good and yes I have it down the downspouts too.

 

[twinrider1]

Nothing to see here. Move along.

 

[JamesV]

Not quite on topic, but I had those leaf gutters installed, and what a complete waste of money and a rip off.

Rain goes right over the protective lip, over the bottom of the gutter, and just sheets off the house. Right over the stairs to the porch, it is like a waterfall when it rains, and their solution was to put up a 'dam' over that area, which now splits the waterfall in two around the stairs.

And... I still have to clean leaves out of the gutter. They get wet and clog the area under the guard that is supposed to keep them out. Wish I had gone to see a few houses with them first; do the same for any heating addition you are planning.