From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Richmond, BC, Canada

Is there a way of making your own soil warming cables? A source of bulk warming cable? amd controllers? My current method is 6ft x 6ft area of soil warming. I would like to expand it to 10ft x 10 ft. Any thoughts?

10/30/2024 10:12:06 AM

Westmoreland, KS

gutter cables worked great for me. 4 cables covered around a 25x25 area digging them in sucked!

10/30/2024 11:19:17 AM

Richmond, BC, Canada

Thanks Jake. WOW!! 25 x 25 That is a LOT of work but all in the realm of crazy pumpkin growers.

10/30/2024 6:43:41 PM

Lloydminster/AB

You need to find yourself an industrial electrician. Out here where its cold they run heat cables on everything. They just make them up from bulk cable. Try to find a wholesale electrical supply store. There are special ends and cable.
Not cheap though.

10/30/2024 8:42:58 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

vevor.ca

10/31/2024 4:28:02 PM

Ontario

Idk about making it, im sure it would be possible, but probably not terribly safe to do especially on your own.
However, i found 100 ft gutter cables on Home Depot for only 90$. Not sure how that stacks up to other items, but seemed decent enough to me.

10/31/2024 9:25:35 PM

Richmond, BC, Canada

Thanks for all the replies. My next question is what kind of soil temperatures you can get with gutter heating cables. I've read that some of these gutter cables shut off at about 40f which makes sense if you're just trying to melt ice. Question: will gutter heating cables raise soil temp to 60f?

11/1/2024 9:04:29 AM

Springfield, VT

I'm using self regulating ice melting cables (only 30') depending on rating the 3W/ft can raise the soil to the mid 70 deg F and 8W/ft will raise the soil to about 85 deg F if left on for about 12 hours a day. The Soil will drop about 10 degrees overnight. Cold wet day/nights can drop the maximum by about 10 degrees on the peaks. If you run them continuously they maintain the temperatures mentioned above and don't get hotter.

11/1/2024 10:51:15 AM

Australia eastcoastcitrus@hotmail.com

Check out my diary entry 21 you just dig your square out open it like a book and cover beats all that individual cable burying

11/2/2024 2:46:20 PM