How does Heater Cap work?
Heater Cap is a heating system that gently heats the ice and snow coming off of your roof. The system uses a combination of heat disbursement panels and self regulating heating cable. The heating panels melt the ice and snow while a relay of heating cables keep the water melted and flowing through the gutters and down spouts. Heater Cap is safely hardwired into a circuit breaker to be turned on and off when needed. Heater Cap can be installed on the roof, in the gutters and down spouts or on top of gutter guards. In some cases it may be applied to underground draining systems.
Why should I choose Heater Cap over other ice melting products?
Heater Cap is more effective than heat tapes and wires because it melts a larger area of ice and snow. Heater Cap is also safer because the self regulating heat cable doesn't get hot enough to start a fire and is properly grounded to avoid sparking, and is hard wired into the home. Also, Heater Cap is less visible then the zigzag configuration of heat wires and tapes.
How much will the cost be to install Heater Cap on my home?
The expense is determined by the amount of footage. Usually the treated areas are just the walkways. The cable has to travel up roof valleys, on gutter covers (if present), in the gutters, down the down spouts, and into drain tiles if present. There is a separate expense for the electrical hook up to the circuit breaker.
How much does it cost to operate Heater Cap?
Heater Cap draws the equivalent of having a hair dryer on. The amount of energy used will be determined by the length of heating cable and the outside temperature. The longer the run of cable, and the colder the outside temperature, the more it will cost to operate. Typically, the electric bills during the winter months can be $.50 to $2.50 more per day.
Can I just have a plug-in arrangement?
Heater Cap should always be hard wired into the circuit breaker on a separate circuit in order to function properly and safely.
How does Heater Cap melt the large amounts of snow and ice coming down the roof valleys?
Roof valleys require a proactive stance. The cable and panels will be doubled up and mounted in the roof valleys (areas where two or more sections of roof join) to melt the ice and snow. Otherwise, the massive amount of ice and snow would overwhelm the system.
What can I do to save on energy costs with the Heater Cap system?
The need to melt the ice on your roof requires two conditions; proper melting temperatures and the presence of moisture. The system doesn't need to be on when it's bitterly cold as there is no melting going on the roof. It doesn't need to be on if there is no ice or snow on the roof. Hence you can turn the system on and off. In those cases, we recommend a light LED switch going into your circuit box to alert you if it is on or not. This requires some discipline. We recommend installing a temperature - moisture sensor to turn the system on and off. It is a simpler solution and will save energy in the long term.