How Does Self Regulating Heat Cable Work?

Many homes in and around Park City have heat cable or heat trace installed on them to help prevent ice dams and icicles, but did you know that there are many different kinds of heat cable available?

In this article, we will explain how self-regulating heat cable functions and why it’s our preferred type of cable for homeowners.

How Does Self-Regulating Heat Cable Work?

Self-regulating cable is made up of two wires that have a conductive layer separating them.

This conductive layer changes with the temperature; the colder it is, the more conducive and more power it will draw, and the warmer it is, the less conductive it becomes.

This layer runs the length of the entire cable and can operate differently throughout the cable. Meaning that one area could be drawing more power than another if it were covered by ice.

One of the great things about self-regulating heat cable is its ability to reduce the amount of power it is drawing as the temperature warms up.

The ability of self-regulating heat cable to vary the power that it draws makes its operational costs lower than constant wattage heat cable; which constantly uses the same power rather than efficiently directing energy to where it is needed most.

Why Do We Prefer Self-Regulating Heat Cable?

We prefer self-regulating heat cable over constant wattage cable because it is more durable and energy-efficient.

Because self-regulating heat cable only ramps to maximum power when it is needed, it maintains a lower operating power draw when it isn’t needed.

Self-regulating heat cable is also typically manufactured for commercial applications and because of this, the build quality is much higher.

Quality self-regulating heat cable is typically warrantied for 10 years vs 1-2 years with more constant wattage cable.