There’s plenty to love about winter in Flagstaff, Arizona. If poor preparation causes ice dams to form on your roof, though, you might find yourself cursing the cold.
The north side of your house and other areas that don’t receive a lot of sun in the winter are at risk of developing ice dams. When an ice dam forms on your roof, it adds tremendous weight to the eave of your house and prevents water from flowing off of your roof and away from the house. Ice dams can also cause shingles to lift on your roof, allowing trapped water to seep beneath them and into your house, which can cause significant damage and require costly repairs.
To learn more about how to prevent ice dams from forming on your roof in Flagstaff, Arizona, this winter, keep reading and check out the video below from Mark, one of the experts in the building materials department at HomCo Lumber & Hardware.
What is Gutter Tape?
Installing gutter tape, or heat tape, is one of the easiest things you can do to prevent ice dams from forming on your roof. Heat tape is applied in a looping or zig-zag pattern along your roofline and gutters. When you plug it in, the tape warms up to prevent melting snow from re-freezing when it reaches the roofline where it can cause ice dams.
How Much Gutter Tape Do You Need?
At HomCo Lumber & Hardware, we stock gutter tape in a variety of different sizes. Before you stop by to get your roof and gutters ready for winter, you’ll need to gather a bit of information so you can determine how much heat tape your home needs. You’ll need to know:
- The length of your roofline (measured in feet)
- The size of your roof overhang (measured in inches)
Each box of frozen gutter heat tape includes a calculation on the back to help you figure out how much tape you’ll need. For example, to calculate the amount of gutter tape you’d need for a home with an 18” roof overhang, you would multiply the length of your roof in linear feet by 4.7. The result is the amount of gutter tape you’d need to buy.
Installing Gutter Tape
The process to install gutter tape is straightforward. In addition to the appropriate amount of heat tape, you’ll also need a dedicated circuit and an automatic thermostat to complete the project. If you’d like, you can also install a switch so you can turn the system off when you have cold weather without precipitation. These are the general steps you’ll need to follow to complete installation:
- Route the cable lead up the side of your gutter and then across the roofline
- Using one of the included clips, clip the starting point to a shingle that sits further up the roof than the outside wall
- Run the tape at an angle back down to the gutter so it forms a loop that extends partially into the gutter, then secure it to the bottom edge of a shingle
- Run the heat tape back up the roof in a zig-zag pattern, securing each point with an eave clip
- Once you’ve run the tape across the roofline, begin laying the heat tape in the gutter, either laying it in the bottom of the gutter or suspending it with S-hooks
- Once you’ve complete installation across your roofline and gutters, feed the tape through a downspout and back to the starting point or outlet Plug the tape into the thermostat, then plug the thermostat into your GFCI outlet
Conclusion
When ice dams form on your roof, you can end up with damaging leaks in your home’s ceilings or find yourself faced with footing the bill for damaged roofs and gutters. Before winter brings ice and snow to Flagstaff, head to HomCo for help finding the best products and solutions to protect your home from winter’s worst. Whether you’re interested in installing gutter tape to prevent ice dams or need to find a solution for another problem, Mark and the other experts in HomCo’s building materials department are always happy to offer advice and recommendations to our Flagstaff friends and neighbors.
There’s plenty to love about winter in Flagstaff, Arizona. If poor preparation causes ice dams to form on your roof, though, you might find yourself cursing the cold.
The north side of your house and other areas that don’t receive a lot of sun in the winter are at risk of developing ice dams. When an ice dam forms on your roof, it adds tremendous weight to the eave of your house and prevents water from flowing off of your roof and away from the house. Ice dams can also cause shingles to lift on your roof, allowing trapped water to seep beneath them and into your house, which can cause significant damage and require costly repairs.
To learn more about how to prevent ice dams from forming on your roof in Flagstaff, Arizona, this winter, keep reading and check out the video below from Mark, one of the experts in the building materials department at HomCo Lumber & Hardware.
What is Gutter Tape?
Installing gutter tape, or heat tape, is one of the easiest things you can do to prevent ice dams from forming on your roof. Heat tape is applied in a looping or zig-zag pattern along your roofline and gutters. When you plug it in, the tape warms up to prevent melting snow from re-freezing when it reaches the roofline where it can cause ice dams.
How Much Gutter Tape Do You Need?
At HomCo Lumber & Hardware, we stock gutter tape in a variety of different sizes. Before you stop by to get your roof and gutters ready for winter, you’ll need to gather a bit of information so you can determine how much heat tape your home needs. You’ll need to know:
- The length of your roofline (measured in feet)
- The size of your roof overhang (measured in inches)
Each box of frozen gutter heat tape includes a calculation on the back to help you figure out how much tape you’ll need. For example, to calculate the amount of gutter tape you’d need for a home with an 18” roof overhang, you would multiply the length of your roof in linear feet by 4.7. The result is the amount of gutter tape you’d need to buy.
Installing Gutter Tape
The process to install gutter tape is straightforward. In addition to the appropriate amount of heat tape, you’ll also need a dedicated circuit and an automatic thermostat to complete the project. If you’d like, you can also install a switch so you can turn the system off when you have cold weather without precipitation. These are the general steps you’ll need to follow to complete installation:
- Route the cable lead up the side of your gutter and then across the roofline
- Using one of the included clips, clip the starting point to a shingle that sits further up the roof than the outside wall
- Run the tape at an angle back down to the gutter so it forms a loop that extends partially into the gutter, then secure it to the bottom edge of a shingle
- Run the heat tape back up the roof in a zig-zag pattern, securing each point with an eave clip
- Once you’ve run the tape across the roofline, begin laying the heat tape in the gutter, either laying it in the bottom of the gutter or suspending it with S-hooks
- Once you’ve complete installation across your roofline and gutters, feed the tape through a downspout and back to the starting point or outlet Plug the tape into the thermostat, then plug the thermostat into your GFCI outlet
Conclusion
When ice dams form on your roof, you can end up with damaging leaks in your home’s ceilings or find yourself faced with footing the bill for damaged roofs and gutters. Before winter brings ice and snow to Flagstaff, head to HomCo for help finding the best products and solutions to protect your home from winter’s worst. Whether you’re interested in installing gutter tape to prevent ice dams or need to find a solution for another problem, Mark and the other experts in HomCo’s building materials department are always happy to offer advice and recommendations to our Flagstaff friends and neighbors.