Melting Ice On A Roof

Then plug the system into a nearby outlet to melt away the snow.

Melting ice on a roof.

Snow melting systems take the form of heated wires that clip to shingles and the edge of your roof. An ice dam can form when certain parts of the roof get warm enough to melt the snow on the roof while the roof edges remain much colder and as a result prevent the melted snow from flowing down the roof. The alpine roof ice melt system was designed to prevent roof ice dams especially in heavy snowfall areas including colorado s ski resort mountain communities of breckenridge copper mountain vail and winter park colorado. An ice dam is a blockage of ice that forms at the edge of a roof and prevents melting snow water from draining off the roof.

In this video master electrician for ask this old house scott caron helps a homeowner install heat cables on his roof to stop ice dams. If you still have snow or ice on your metal roof there are several different tools you can use to melt the snow like heat cables calcium chloride or hot water. Secure shingle clips to roof shingles using a flathead screwdriver making sure to align them in a zigzag pattern. If necessary use a long handled garden rake or hoe to push it into position.

Prevent a range of problems related to snow and ice build up. The water that backs up behind the dam can leak into a home and cause damage to walls ceilings insulation and other areas. Lay the hose onto the roof so it crosses the ice dam and overhangs the gutter. Breaking an ice dam is usually done in conjunction with melting the ice in some fashion such as with the use of calcium chloride socks as described above or with roof steaming below.

These melted the ice dam from below allowing water to drain off the roof. The calcium chloride will eventually melt through the snow and ice and create a channel for water to flow down into the gutters or off the roof. For an ice dam to form the warm parts of the roof generally need to be higher than 32 degrees f while the cold areas of the. The roof melt tabs melt through the ice to the roof and then drains under the ice instead of backing up into the attic.

Clip in the cable along the same zigzag pattern as the shingle clips. A metal roof is great for preventing snow build up because the sun heats up the metal and causes the snow to slide right off. I ordered extra to have on hand for the future. The picture below is the ice dam that fell off my roof after melting from below.