pros and cons of using electrical gutter cables like "easy heat"brand to prevent ice and snow build up?

Answer 1

If they're of good quality and installed properly, they do the job they're supposed to do quite well. I used them just along the edge of the roof and along the eavestrough. I had a long roofline (67 feet) and used two cables, with the cords together in the middle. I drilled a hole through the outside wall under the eaves and brought the plug ends in close to an outlet so that I could control the power usage from indoors. I plugged up the hole with caulk both inside and outside to seal it. This setup worked very well.

The cons? The cables running along the bottom of the eavestrough made it a little more difficult to clean the leaves out of it, but not impossible. (Good water pressure and a good hose nozzle are a must.)

If you have a strong roof and good insulation in your attic, you don't need to cover the whole roof with cable, just the edge which hangs over and the eavestrough. The cable shouldn't get hot enough to damage plastic eavestrough, but check when you go shopping for it.