Sometimes the Internet is a great place to gather good information, and other times it’s just chock full of misinformation. Learning to tease out the good from the bad can be exhausting, especially when picking the correct type of breaker for the new heat cable you want to install on your roof. For example, you may see a blog by an electrician stating that a standard GFCI breaker is adequate ground-fault protection for a self-regulating heat cable setup.
They’d be wrong.
A Ground-fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) breaker is only designed to protect people from electric shock and should not be confused with ground-fault protection for equipment (GFPE). According to the National Electrical Code, GFPE breakers are required for self-regulating outdoor de-icing equipment, as they can handle higher electric loads than GFCI. Also, if your heat cable has any damage, a standard GFCI can easily short, causing an arc or bridge of electricity that could lead to a fire. In contrast, a GFPE breaker will interrupt the circuit’s power even if there is a short or a fire burning at the end of the cable.
As our founder and owner Eric Wimmer will tell you, heat cable installed with the wrong breaker happens all too frequently. Once, a contractor called him to look at a multi-million-dollar home located north of the Salt Lake Capitol because the homeowners felt their heat cable wasn’t working correctly. They had hired an electrician two years prior to install the cable to the tune of about $17,000. After spending that amount of money, they were naturally a little concerned it was having issues after only two years.
Eric talked with the homeowners and quickly found out the system did not have the appropriate GFPE breaker installed. Although he explained to the homeowners the importance of using a GFPE breaker for heat cable, they weren’t convinced that this was the issue. They advised Eric to just turn on the cable, and they would point out which areas weren’t working.
Once the system was running, however, the cables told a different story. Suddenly, billows of smoke rose from the roof and out of the gutters, and you could see flames about 8 to 10 inches above the gutter rim. Eric ran back into the house and immediately shut down the system before it engulfed the roof.
These homeowners realized they had just witnessed a textbook example of what can go wrong when someone installs your heat cable incorrectly. As Eric explained, to work safely, the heat cable needs the proper circuit protections. Safe operation is critical with all the electric equipment in and around your home, especially with outdoor de-icing systems. Self-regulating cable kicks in when the temperature dips below freezing, which is often at night after you have gone to bed, or when you’re away and your indoor thermostat is operating at a lower temperature.
According to figures from the National Fire Protection Association, 25 percent of all house fires occur between midnight and 8 a.m., and these fires account for a whopping 60 percent of all home fire deaths. In the case of these particular homeowners, they vacation in the winter, so the system would have turned on while they were away. In either case, one faulty unprotected circuit can cause devastating damage to your home, and possibly, your life.
Most of the homeowners’ existing heat cable couldn’t be salvaged and installed with the new roof heating system, so it cost them an additional $12,000 to get the job done correctly. In total, they had to spend almost $30,000 to install their heat.
That is just unacceptable. You are making a significant investment when you put heat cable on your roof, and you should expect a system that will, at the very least, not burn down your house. This is why choosing a heat cable installation expert who knows what they’re doing is just as critical to your project as selecting the best materials.
It has now been more than ten years, and this homeowner has only called Wasatch Heat Cable back for one thing – to install additional heat cable to an area not covered originally. Other than that, his system has worked flawlessly.
A GFPE breaker will cost you more than a GFCI, but that’s an infinitesimally small investment compared to the cost of replacing your roof heat cable every few years. If you are considering putting in a heat cable system, you may want to consider using a professional heat cable installer like Wasatch Heat Cable to give you added peace of mind. But whether you DIY your heat cable or have a professional do it, be sure to check out our blog for more essential tips and ideas.