Ice Dam Prevention & Ice Melt Systems

Prevent costly damage to your roof in the winter with ice dam prevention & ice melt systems

Ice dams can be a serious issue for your roof during the winter months. If the heat on your roof isn’t evenly distributed, perhaps due to a lack of insulation, the upper half of the roof will warm faster than the gutter area. Melting water from the upper half of your roof will flow down to your gutters, but will get stuck because your gutters are still covered in ice. This blockage build-up will eventually create a dam of ice. If not addressed quickly, the melting water will continue to build up and eventually force itself into your home through any opening it can find.

While removing the ice dam can prevent serious damage, it doesn’t get to the heart of the problem, and you may need to remove ice dams several times over the course of the winter. Luckily, there is another way. Ice melt systems can de-ice your roof and prevent ice dams from even occurring in the first place.

Types of ice melt systems

• Roof de-icing cables: These cables are installed in a wave pattern on your roof, just above the gutters. The heat they produce melts ice dams as they begin to form, and you can adjust just how much heat they produce.
• Radiant edge systems: This ice melt system is installed at the edge of the roof and also serves to melt ice as it passes of the roof. While de-icing cables tend to be noticeable and can look a bit clunky, a radiant edge system has a sleek, uniform appearance.