In winter, snow and ice cover abundantly roof slopes and gutters. Over time, they can slide down. Blocks of snow, icicles can fall on various objects that stand near the building, on cars, as well as on people passing by. This can be fraught with serious consequences. To avoid damage to property and injuries, electric heating of the roof is equipped.
This system is a wire that is connected to a regular household network. For the arrangement of such heating, a cable of different types is used. How to choose and install an anti-icing system for gutters and roofs will be discussed next.
General characteristics
The roof heating system prevents a lot of accidents, damage to various property in the winter. It not only contributes to the melting of snow and ice, but also prevents their formation on the surface of the roof and gutters. The presented device belongs to the security system. It is used today at various municipal and private facilities.
The principle of operation of the system is based on heating surfaces usingelectric current. In this case, it is important to correctly calculate the rated power of the wire, as well as mount it in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. In this case, the system will be reliable and efficient.
There are many types of wires for such installation on the market for heating products, which are produced by foreign and domestic companies. The price of a foreign-made roof heating cable is about 7-10 thousand rubles. for 10 m. Domestic manufacturers present wires of similar quality and operating principle at a price of 5 to 8 thousand rubles. for 10 m.
System requirements
Roof heating technology is produced in accordance with existing building requirements, electrical equipment installation rules and wire manufacturer's instructions. At the same time, increased requirements are put forward for the presented systems.
A cable that is suitable for heating the roof should have a power of 20-60 W / m. When choosing this indicator, they are guided by the features of the object, the climatic conditions in the region.
The wire must have a high insulation class. It should not collapse under the influence of ultraviolet radiation, overheat in certain areas. Reliable operation of the cable must be maintained in conditions of high humidity, temperature changes.
Quality wire has a sheath consisting of several different materials. There is also a mandatory wire for grounding.
Varieties of systems
There are several options for roof heating. Such systems can be mounted using two categories of cable. The first is called resistive wire. Its heating will be the same along its entire length. This wire is similar to the cable used for underfloor heating indoors. It differs only in a higher rated power and a feature of the braid. The cost of a resistive wire on average leaves from 5 to 8 thousand rubles. for 10 m.
There is another kind of electric cable that is used to heat roofs and gutters. It is called self-regulating wire. The heating temperature of such a system may not be the same in different areas. This is a more advanced option. Its price will be higher. The average cost is, depending on the manufacturer, 8-10 thousand rubles. for 10 m.
In some cases, combined systems are used. A self-regulating type of wire is mounted in the gutters, and a resistive cable is mounted on the roof slopes.
Features of resistive wire
Resistive cable is a fairly powerful system. His vein is most often created from nichrome. This alloy rapidly heats up when electricity passes through it. The rated power of such a wire is 300-350 W/m. If this indicator is less, the system will not be able to perform the functions assigned to it in severe frosts.
There are several layers of insulating materials around the nichrome core. As a result, the wire has a cross section of about 7 mm. You can't cut the vein. It is connected to the wire for connecting to the network with special soldering. It is almost impossible to make it qualitatively at home. The cut wire is not covered by the warranty in this case.
Resistive wire heats up to its maximum value in a certain amount of time. To be able to control the rate of thermal energy, you need to use a thermostat. Otherwise, the system will consume a lot of power.
Disadvantages of resistive wire
Heating gutters, roofs with resistive wire has a lot of disadvantages. The presented system, as mentioned above, heats up equally along the entire length. In this case, a situation may arise when the temperature on one side of the roof is higher. This is where the cable will overheat. Over time, the system will fail.
This is not the only disadvantage of constant heating wires. This system cannot be shortened. The size of the gutters, the area of the roof can vary significantly. At the same time, it is difficult to choose the exact size of the cable for heating.
As a result, the service life of the presented system is significantly reduced. During installation, you will need to purchase a thermostat separately. Its cost is 5-8 thousand rubles. Without the inclusion of this additional element in the network, the system consumes a large amount of electricity.
Self-adjusting wire
Self-regulating heating cable is a more advanced system. It consists of twometal conductors through which electric current is supplied. Between these conductors is a special material. It is a semiconductor that reacts to the ambient temperature. When it gets cold outside the window, it freely passes current. In this case, the system heats up more. If it gets warmer outside, the internal matrix of a special polymer will become worse at conducting current. In this case, the heating will be less.
The inner matrix with conductors is surrounded by special insulating materials. This system can be connected directly to the network without a thermostat. It will consume only the required amount of electricity. At the same time, in severe frosts, the heating will be stronger, as well as the need for energy resources.
This wire is divided into small sections along its entire length. Therefore, it can be shortened. This allows you to mount the system exactly on the usable area.
Advantages of self-regulating wire
Heating gutters and roofs with self-regulating wire has many advantages. Due to the absence of overheating, the system is highly durable. It is also used to prevent freezing of water and sewer pipes. The wire responds clearly to environmental conditions.
When installing the system, you do not need to buy an expensive thermostat. You only need to mount the plug on the lead wire. It is connected to a normal household network. This makes the system easy to operate. The owners of the house do not need to monitorindicator of the outdoor thermometer. The system regulates the heating itself.
The only reason why the presented type of wire is not yet used for outdoor heating everywhere is its high price. Resistive wire from each manufacturer is cheaper. Therefore, many private property owners choose this type of wire, despite all its shortcomings.
Installation of the system on the roof
When equipping a roof with electric heating, it is necessary to take into account its design. If there are no gutters on the roof, one of two installation schemes can be used when installing the cable. The wire is laid out on special guides. Most often they are supplied with a wire. If they are not available, you can purchase a mounting kit from specialized stores.
If there is no drainage system on the roof, and its slope is small, you can make a system with a recess in the center. It equals 40 cm. The wire goes into this funnel.
If the slope of the roof is steep, the system unfolds from the center to the edges. Near each corner, it is necessary to cut holes through which loops of wire and melt water will exit. For these purposes, a wire of 40-60 W / m is suitable.
Installation of wire in the drain
Most often, a self-regulating heating cable is used for gutters. In this case, it will be necessary to install a cable at the bottom of the pipe for 2/3 of its length. It is fixed with the help of special mounting elements. The wire is laid in several rows (depending on the width of the drain).
The bigger the drainpipe, the colder it is outside in winterperiod, the greater the power should be characterized by the system. The distance between the wires is selected in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations. The average distance is 5-7 cm.
If a resistive cable is used for installation, please note that it must not be bent too much. Otherwise, the inner core may be damaged. The minimum pitch between the turns of such a wire is 5 cm. The cable should not cross, its threads should not pass close to each other. Otherwise, the system will overheat.
Combined system
Many builders and professional roof heating installers recommend using two types of wire at once. For drainage systems, in this case, a self-regulating cable is selected. The rest of the roof can be heated with a resistive variety.
This solution allows you to make installation cheaper than using only self-regulating wire. The quality of heating and the durability of the anti-icing system will be higher than when using only resistive wire. At the same time, electricity bills for home owners will be optimal.
Having considered how to create roof heating, you can independently select and install electrical wires in accordance with established building codes.
