Do you leave the gutter heaters on 24/7 or just "X" hrs. per day?
For roof applications they say to only run when warm enough outside to have melting. They also make temperature and moisture sensors. Ours are on constantly at this point, but could easily be altered.
Our shop gutters drain down into PVC that collects and runs out on lower lawn. I "washed" a string down through the one leg and then pulled the heat tape up through the pipe. We plug this one in seasonally. Thawing with a pressure washer is not that big a deal, but I did not learn until after melting the end of the pipe with my bullet heater...
Wrap On brand tapes seem to do quite well for us.
https://wrap-on.com/products/rgdic.html
