In winter, snow and ice are abundantly covered by slopes of roofs and gutters. Over time, they can slide down. Lumps of snow, icicles can fall on various objects that are 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, equip the electric heating of the roof.
This system is a wire that connects to a regular household network. To equip such heating, different types of cable are used. How to choose and install an anti-icing system for gutters and roofs will be discussed later.
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 relates to a security system. It is used today at various municipal and private facilities.
The principle of the system is based on heating surfaces using electric current. In this case, it is important to correctly calculate the rated power of the wire, and also mount it in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. In this case, the system will be reliable and efficient.
In the market for heating products, there are many varieties of wires for such installation, which are produced by foreign and domestic companies. The price of a cable for heating a roof of foreign production 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
The technology for heating the roof is made in accordance with existing building requirements, the rules for installing electrical equipment and the manufacturer's instructions for the wire. In this case, the presented systems put forward increased requirements.
A cable that is suitable for heating the roof should have a power of 20-60 W / m. When choosing this indicator are guided by the characteristics of the object, 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 cable operation must be maintained in conditions of high humidity, temperature changes.
A quality wire has a braid consisting of several different materials. There is also necessarily a grounding conductor.
Varieties of systems
There are several options for heating the roof. Such systems can be mounted using two cable categories. The first is called a resistive wire. Its heating will be the same along its entire length. This wire is similar to the cable used for the underfloor heating system indoors. It differs only in higher rated power and braiding feature. 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 the roof and gutters. It is called a self-regulating wire. The heating temperature of such a system may be different in different areas. This is a better 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. In the gutters, a self-regulating type of wire is mounted, and on the roof slopes - a resistive cable.
Resistive Wire Features
Resistive cable is a fairly powerful system. His vein is most often created from nichrome. This alloy quickly gains heat 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 fulfill its functions in severe frosts.
Around the nichrome core there are several layers of insulating materials. As a result, the wire has a cross section of about 7 mm. It is impossible to cut a vein. It connects to the wire for connecting to the network with special soldering. It is almost impossible to do qualitatively at home. The guarantee for the cut wire in this case does not apply.
The resistance wire heats up to its maximum value in a certain amount of time. To be able to control the indicator of thermal energy, you need to use a thermostat. Otherwise, the system will consume a lot of electricity.
Resistive Wire Disadvantages
Heating gutters, roofs with a resistive wire has a lot of disadvantages. The presented system, as mentioned above, is equally heated over its entire length. In this case, a situation may arise when the temperature will be higher on one side of the roof. At this point, the cable will overheat. Over time, the system will fail.
This is not the only drawback of continuous heating wires. This system cannot be shortened. The size of the gutters, the roof area can vary significantly. At the same time, it is difficult to choose the exact size of the cable for heating.
As a result, the operating time of the presented system is significantly reduced. During installation, you will need to separately purchase a thermostat. 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-regulating wire
Self-regulating heating cable is a more advanced system. It consists of two metal cores, through which electric current is supplied. Between these conductors is a special material. It is a semiconductor that responds to 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 on the street, the internal matrix of a special polymer will conduct current worse. In this case, the heating will be less.
Special insulating materials surround the inner matrix with conductors. This system can be connected to the network directly without a thermostat. It will consume only the required amount of electricity. At the same time, during severe frosts, the heating will be stronger, as well as the need for energy.
This wire is divided into small sections along the entire length. Therefore, it can be shortened. This allows you to mount the system exactly according to the usable area.
Benefits of self-regulating wire
Heating gutters and roofs using a 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, sewer pipes. The wire clearly responds 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 regular household network. This makes the operation of the system simple. The owners of the house do not need to follow the indicator of the column of the outdoor thermometer. The system regulates heating independently.
The only reason why the type of wire presented is not yet used for outdoor heating everywhere is its high price. Resistive wire for each manufacturer is cheaper. Therefore, many owners of private real estate choose this type of wire, despite all its shortcomings.
Roof mounting system
When equipping a roof with electric heating, it is necessary to take into account its design. If there are no drains on the roof, you can use one of two installation schemes when installing the cable. The wire is laid out on special guides. Most often, they come complete with a wire. If not, you can purchase a mounting kit in specialized stores.
If the drainage system on the roof is not provided, and its slope is small, you can make a system with a recess in the center. It equals 40 cm. The wire enters this funnel.
If the roof slope 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 come out. 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 drains . In this case, you need to install a cable at the bottom of the pipe to 2/3 of its length. It is fixed using special mounting elements. The wire is laid in several rows (depending on the width of the drain).
The larger the drainpipe, the colder it is outside in the winter, the more powerful the system should be characterized. 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 step 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 construction organizations and professional installers of roof heating systems recommend using two types of wires at once. For drainage systems in this case, a self-regulating cable is selected. The rest of the roof can be heated using 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 de-icing system will be higher than when using only resistive wire. In this case, the bills for the payment of electricity by the owners of the house will be optimal.
Having considered how to create roof heating, you can independently select and install electrical wires in accordance with established building codes.