HOME OWNERS
Do icicles hang from your roof after a big snow storm? Melting snow on a roof surface can lead to dangerous and hazardous ice dams and icicles forming on your roof’s edge. Allowing ice dams to form will cause heavy sheets of ice to grow up on your roof from the roof edge.
Through freezing and thawing cycles in a winter season ice dams and icicles will develop. Pooled snow melt water behind an ice dam will always seek the path of least resistance. The path of least resistance is eventually beneath and/or between roof shingles, shakes or seams. Next path is typically into your home or business where structural rot and/or hazardous mold, etc. will develop. And since roofs are designed to shed water and not hold water, roofing material degrades faster.
Long icicles hanging from the roof may look nice during the holidays, but this is a sign of ice dams forming on the roof edges. Ice dams can:
- Reduce life of roofing material
- Damage drywall
- Damage insulation
- Electrical problems
- Result in hazardous mold formation
- Destroy patio decks and everything on them
- Cause structural rot
And these are just property issues. You will also be liable for any physical injuries that result from ice sliding and falling off of your roof. Large sheets/blocks of ice that form on your roof can weigh 100 pounds or more in some cases.
If these sheets of ice fall on you or someone on your property, severe injuries, or even death, can occur.
Eliminating Ice Dams
Ice dams can be eliminated with the proper roof edge ice melt system installed. The goal should be to prevent the formation of any ice dam on a roof edge. They all grow through freezing and thawing cycles and can be very problematic.
With the efficient use and placement of commercial grade self regulating heat trace cables, it’s possible to heat the roof surfaces where problematic ice forms affordably.
Every roof is different. The type of roof you have will determine the specific system needed to eliminate ice dams and icicles. HotEdge systems will efficiently and effectively heat the roof surfaces ensuring that snow melt water does not have the chance to re-freeze.
You’ll extend the longevity of your roof, avoid property damage and reduce the potential risk of physical injuries in the process.
Click here to learn more about HotEdge products for shingled, shake, and metal roofs.
