13
If separate areas are being treated, it may be more practical to use separate cables.
When planning your cable arrangement, consider where each cable will be routed
given its length.
It is also possible to use one common cable for both areas; the cable can be routed
from one area to the next either in the gutter or horizontally attached to the shingles.
Do not route the cable over the roof peak, because the clips are not designed for this
purpose.
Consider how you will handle any excess or slight shortage of cable. For excess
cable, triangles can be made larger (up to 20 ft [6 m] in height) or cable loops in
valleys can be extended. For slight shortages, triangles can be made smaller in
areas less sensitive to ice dams. Alternatively, if a downspout is present at the
end of the roofline being treated, cable may be routed in a single run down, or as
recommended, run down and back up. In either scenario, the cable must terminate
at the end of the downspout. See
Figure 24 on page 21
.
WARNING: To reduce the risk of fire, electric shock, or ice dam forma-
tion, do not cut, splice or alter the de-icing cable in anyway. The cable
length cannot be changed.
4
CONSIDER THE NUMBER OF CABLES TO USE
5
CONSIDER CABLE SHORTAGE OR EXCESS
Follow these steps BEFORE installing the de-icing cable:
1.
Remove any existing de-icing or heating cables, clips or cable spacers in the area
where the new cable will be installed. (See
Removing the cable on page 24
.)
2.
Remove any combustible debris from the roof, gutters and downspouts, such as
leaves, pine needles, seeds or windblown trash.
3.
Look and feel for sharp or jagged edges along gutters and downspouts that
could damage the cable. Sharp or jagged edges could include gutter edges,
downspout fittings or screws. Remove sharp or jagged edges by either filing or
bending them down.
PREPARING
