Hello,
Yet again, I have made the mistake and went for this thing before doing any real research.
So I ask here, as my conationals do not use / talk that much about these ice melting systems. I have got mine installed. and it does as advertised. At least in half. I.e. it circulates water through the gutters and downspouts, however, there still is ice & icicles forming off the gutters. My setup:
- tin roof, tin gutters, tin snow stoppers (that V shaped model measuring not more than a few inches)
- the attic is.. 2/3 inhabited so just 1/3 for depositing with 2/3 half storey.
- insulated half storey (upper inhabbitable part of the attic)
- some danish breed of heat cables and thermostat system running through the gutters (same cable, 2 gutters) @ 40W / meter emanated power.
Thing is one of the gutters stays clean, without growing / retaining any ice on it, while the other will take 2-3 days of full-time defrosting before the ice / snow ridge along the gutters drops to the ground. And we did not get any real winter yet...
What I got right now:
- this one gutter that comes under snow weight and requires extra time for defrosing lies over the 1/3 attic, but the upper 2/3 corresponding to it is inhabited and heated up to around 23 deg Celsius,
- while the other clean gutter lies on top of the another 1/3 attic having its upper 2/3 part sheathing only a 19 or less deg Celsius heated room.
The way I see it (only now) is like this: half storey insulation is not enough so small amount of heat get to the upper roof causing melting, thus snow drift downhill. This is not the case for that other gutter where it has a bit cooler temperature in the room underneath. Because of this, snow tends to slide faster over one gutter, thus causing it trouble while at the other place slow tends to accumulate more.
Which sucks, beause I really do not want it to be so assymetrical due to obvious electricity bill cost reasons.
What are my options here please ? (besides letting off that warm room where I spend most of the day and, if my theory is correct, perhaps turning the temperature a bit lower in the half storey)
Or is the heat cable system just badly designed / fitted alltogether ?
Thanks!
Yet again, I have made the mistake and went for this thing before doing any real research.
So I ask here, as my conationals do not use / talk that much about these ice melting systems. I have got mine installed. and it does as advertised. At least in half. I.e. it circulates water through the gutters and downspouts, however, there still is ice & icicles forming off the gutters. My setup:
- tin roof, tin gutters, tin snow stoppers (that V shaped model measuring not more than a few inches)
- the attic is.. 2/3 inhabited so just 1/3 for depositing with 2/3 half storey.
- insulated half storey (upper inhabbitable part of the attic)
- some danish breed of heat cables and thermostat system running through the gutters (same cable, 2 gutters) @ 40W / meter emanated power.
Thing is one of the gutters stays clean, without growing / retaining any ice on it, while the other will take 2-3 days of full-time defrosting before the ice / snow ridge along the gutters drops to the ground. And we did not get any real winter yet...
What I got right now:
- this one gutter that comes under snow weight and requires extra time for defrosing lies over the 1/3 attic, but the upper 2/3 corresponding to it is inhabited and heated up to around 23 deg Celsius,
- while the other clean gutter lies on top of the another 1/3 attic having its upper 2/3 part sheathing only a 19 or less deg Celsius heated room.
The way I see it (only now
) is like this: half storey insulation is not enough so small amount of heat get to the upper roof causing melting, thus snow drift downhill. This is not the case for that other gutter where it has a bit cooler temperature in the room underneath. Because of this, snow tends to slide faster over one gutter, thus causing it trouble while at the other place slow tends to accumulate more. Which sucks, beause I really do not want it to be so assymetrical due to obvious electricity bill cost reasons.
What are my options here please ? (besides letting off that warm room where I spend most of the day and, if my theory is correct, perhaps turning the temperature a bit lower in the half storey)
Or is the heat cable system just badly designed / fitted alltogether ?
Thanks!
