How to Install Gutter Heating Cable

This winter has been great so far!  My gutters have really appreciated it!  Last year we were plagued with massive ice dams that had water dripping inside windows and into bedrooms.  As a last ditch effort to deal with those dams last year I went out an bought a length of gutter heating cable and basically just thew it up on the roof.  It actually worked.  It cut through the ice and allowed all of the trapped water to drain out.

Over the summer I got up on the ladder and prepared that heating cable for the approaching winter.  Completely disregarding the manual I ran the cable up a downspout and into the gutters where it sits to this day. The manual wants you to spread the cable out on the bottom of the roof line like this…

Sure, that’s ideal, but it uses a heck of a lot of cable, looks ugly, and appears to be overkill.

I’ve only had to plug my cable in once so far when we had snow the other day, and that was just as a precaution.  Now it’s 50 degrees F outside and the cable is sitting idle.  Love it.