Heating of downpipes and gutters

Reasons for the formation of ice on the roof and gutter

There are two most common reasons for the formation of ice and icicles on the roof:

1. Seasonal and diurnal temperature differences.
2. Warm roofs. If the roof is not sufficiently insulated, the snow on it may melt even at minus temperatures. As a result, water descends from the roof and already freezes in the cold part and drainage, turning into ice blocks. In order to avoid this, it is necessary to warm the roof well, thereby reducing its heat loss.

Roof heating: means and composition. Kinds of heating cables

Two types of heating cables are used for heating gutters:

1. Resistive;
2. Self-adjusting.

The advantages of a resistive cable. Installation can be carried out in any configuration, as it is easy to install. To increase the power can be stacked in several lines. Is the cheapest. Has low power consumption characteristics.

Cons: Heating occurs along the entire length at regular intervals, and this leads to overheating and, as a result, breakage. If one of the wires burns out, then all the wire goes into disrepair. Unregulated heat transfer process. It requires constant maintenance, removal of accumulating debris, which leads to overheating.

Self-regulating cable qualitatively performs heating of downpipes and gutters.

Pros: Resistant to overheating. Very easy to install, as it can be cut into parts of any length.

Cons: Compared with resistive, has a higher cost.

Both types of cables can equally effectively heat the roof, having its own features, pluses and minuses.

To combine low cost and high quality, you can combine heating cables. Using in the roof of resistive cables with low cost, and heating downpipes and gutters to carry out with the help of more expensive, but quality self-regulating.

Elements of the heating system of the drainage system

The heating system consists of the following components:

1. Heating cable;
2. Fasteners;
3. Control panel;
4. Components of the distribution network;
5. Thermostat, weather station.

When using the thermostat, you must start the system manually. To automate this process, use a weather station. But it should be noted that the cost of a weather station is several times higher than the cost of a conventional temperature regulator.

Installation of heating system. Heating cable routing

Before starting the cable layout, the locations of the predicted accumulation of snow and ice on the roof are determined. Most often it is a roof overhang, horizontal sections of the drainage system, gutters, pipes, funnels, catchments, ravines. If the location of the laying of the wire is determined correctly, the heating of the drainpipes and gutters will be as effective as possible.

Installation instructions for the drainage system

The installation of the drainage system should be carried out in accordance with the following rules and sequence:

1. Mount the wire in the gutters using a mounting tape stripes across. Choose a tape with a larger thickness, as this determines the life of the tape. Places of fixing the tape on the groove, made with rivets, must be treated with sealant.
2. In pipes, the cable should be fastened with a mounting tape. If the length of the pipe is more than six meters, in order to reduce the load, the cable must first be attached to the metal cable in the insulating jacket, and then lowered into the body of the pipe.
3. The wire can not be attached to the roof by drilling, it is better to do this by mounting tape and sealant.
4. The installation site must be inspected and, if necessary, removed by sharp edges and excess items that could damage the cable.
5. It is necessary not only to install the installation boxes, but also to ring them and measure the insulation resistance of the sections.
6. Lock the thermostat sensors.
7. Carry out the signal and power cables, measure their resistance.
8. Install the control panel.
9. Test the device.
10. Adjust the thermostat.
11. Perform the commissioning.