Quick verdict
Ninety aluminium clips and spacers that hold roof de-icing cable in its zigzag along the eave and down the gutter without nails, screws or holes in the shingles. The clips slip under shingle edges and bend to fit, and the spacers keep the cable loops at the right pitch so ice dams melt evenly. A roll of heat cable comes with a few clips; a long eave needs this many. Aluminium does not rust or stain the roof.
Strengths
- No nails or screws through the roof
- Ninety pieces equips a long eave and gutter run
- Aluminium bends to fit and will not rust
- Spacers hold the zigzag at even pitch
- Reusable when cable is taken down
Weaknesses
- Slipping clips under brittle old shingles in cold weather can crack them
- Aluminium clips bend open if the cable is tugged
- No clips for metal or tile roofs in this style
The overall YardToolLab Score is out of 100. Section scores are out of 10.
Holding the Cable Without Hurting the Roof
De-icing cable along an eave stops ice dams, and the cable has to be held in a zigzag on the shingles and run down into the gutter. Nails through a roof are a leak waiting to happen. Mornajina’s kit is 90 aluminium clips and spacers that slide under shingle edges and bend closed around the cable, with spacers that keep the loops evenly pitched in the gutter.
This review is based on the listing specifications and on how shingle-clip heat cable mounts are installed generally. We have not used these clips ourselves and the brand is a generic importer.
Installation
Lay the cable in a zigzag along the eave with the peaks reaching above the exterior wall line, so the melt channel extends past where ice dams form. At each peak, slip a clip under the shingle tab above and bend it around the cable; at each valley, a clip at the drip edge. Run the cable along the gutter bottom with spacers holding it off the metal, and down the downspout. Ninety pieces equips 40 to 60 feet of eave.
Timing
Install in autumn when shingles are warm and pliable. Lifting a shingle tab in freezing weather cracks it, and that is the one way these clips can damage a roof. Taken down in spring on a mild day, the clips bend open and the kit is reused.
Aluminium
Steel clips rust and streak the shingles below. Aluminium does not, and it bends by hand to fit any cable diameter. The trade is that a hard tug on the cable can open a clip, so route the cable so nothing pulls on it.
Roof Types
These are for asphalt shingle roofs. Standing seam metal and tile use clamp or adhesive mounts, which is a different kit.
Who Should Buy It
- Homeowners installing heat cable along a long eave.
- Anyone whose cable kit came short of clips.
- People replacing rusted steel clips that streaked the roof.
Common Owner Complaints
Clips opening when the cable is pulled and cracked shingles from cold installs. Route carefully; install warm.
Layout Tips
Plan the zigzag before climbing: peaks about 15 inches apart along the eave, each reaching 12 to 18 inches up the roof past the wall line, valleys at the drip edge. Mark the shingle tabs with chalk from the ladder, then clip. Run the cable along the bottom of the gutter on spacers so it does not touch the metal, and loop it down each downspout to the outlet so meltwater has a clear path all the way out.
Alternatives to Consider
Frost King and Easy Heat sell clips matched to their cables in smaller counts. Gutter guard heat cable systems hide the cable entirely. Roof rakes remove snow before dams form, without cable.
Verdict
For hanging de-icing cable along an eave without a single hole, this kit supplies enough aluminium clips and spacers for most houses at a low price. Install on a warm day, keep the cable slack and reuse them each winter.
Full specifications
Mornajina 90-Piece Aluminium Roof De-Icing Heat Cable Clips and Spacers Kit FAQs
One clip at each peak and valley of the zigzag, typically every 12 to 18 inches along the eave, plus spacers in the gutter. Ninety handles 40 to 60 feet of eave.
Not if installed on a warm day when shingles are flexible. Cold, brittle shingles crack when lifted; install in autumn, not January.
No. These slide under shingle tabs. Metal and tile roofs use adhesive or clamp-style clips.
Yes. Bend them open to remove the cable and close them again next season.
