As anyone who has ever visited or lived in cold areas of the United States or Canada knows, ice and snow are familiar sights. Anything left outside will need to bear the brunt of the elements, including the harshest snowstorms and ice development which does not melt quickly. Homes and other buildings are the most obvious objects that will be forced to withstand whatever nature can throw at them, especially during the tough winter months.
Snow piling up on the roof of a house or building tends to melt from beneath due to the warmth of the home’s attic and then re-freeze, forming a layer of ice on the roof. It is important for the home’s structural integrity that the ice is mitigated to stop ice dams from forming in the first place. This will also help keep maintenance and repair costs to your roofing and in the attic low after the snow melts.
What Causes Ice Dams?
An ice dam forms from the accumulation of ice and snow on the roof as well as icicles on the eaves, gutters, and around ventilation. Roof Ice and snow begin to melt due to the warm air created by the attic or upper portion of the house, and this melted water leaks down between the layer of snow and the shingles until it reaches the eaves. The eaves will stay cold from these leaks because it is further from the attic, insulation, and other warm interior sections of the house. This is a prime situation for ice dams to form on your roof.
Once the weather begins to turn colder and the water freezes, it builds up into a frozen mound of ice called an ice dam. If your home has a flatter roof, the ice dam is more likely to form quicker from the ice melt than those homes with a greater slant in their roofs as the buildup does not happen as easily in the first place. A gutter will still trap ice and snow, which can form a solid foundation for an ice dam as well.
Why Is It Important to Prevent Ice Dams?
Ice dam prevention and ice dam removal are critical activities for homeowners because the damage caused by ice dams can be very serious to your home’s exterior and interior. You cannot simply wait for the natural heat of the warm months to help solve your problem or prevent issues with the attic, insulation, ventilation, and more. Installing a system for ice dams is important, and HotEdge offers a free consultation for your roof.
Before the end of the winter freeze, you must check the roof for any hanging icicles on a gutter, heavy snow accumulation at the edge. Also, along with the vents or major ice dam buildups (caused by the house’s heat) because if they fall, they could seriously injure anyone below them or damage objects they fall on as the air gets warm.
Once the winter months have passed and the ice and snow have melted from your roof due to warm air, the potential damage from ice dams will quickly become apparent on the exterior of the home, such as on the gutter edge, vents, roofing panels, and shingles. You may have already noticed issues with your roof in the attic, or upper floor’s ceilings, including the development of toxic mold as the moisture, spread throughout the walls and insulation. If you have not done anything to prevent ice dams from forming, you may be needing to hire a roofer and have extensive repairs done or a new roof installed. The installation of an ice dam system will cost much less than installing new roofing from a professional roofer after ice and snow have done their damage.
Ice dam prevention systems such as ours at HotEdge are the quickest and easiest ways to eliminate the problem created by ice and snow on your roof, and the cost is more than worth it. You will be able to rest easy knowing your roof, shingles, soffit vents, and panels, as well as the attic, insulation, ventilation, and other interior parts of the upper floors of your home. They are all safe and secure from the potential damage of ice dams and snow. Rock salt will not work here, and you won’t want to wait for natural warm air.
Why Do You Need An Ice Dam Prevention System?
Rather than deal with the effects of ice dams and snow after they have already been formed and caused damage to your roof (metal shingles, soffit vents, panels, gutters, vents), ice dam prevention (or ice dam removal) using products that create an entire system is preferable and the most cost-effective. Using heat cables that run along the edge of your roof, the buildup of snow and ice is prevented through the heating, especially in the roof’s most vulnerable areas where water leaks occur.
The heat cables and other ice dam prevention systems from HotEdge are more cost-effective and energy-efficient than other ice melt systems designed to prevent ice dams and the ice dam problems that accompany them. With a heat cable from HotEdge that self-regulates, you will use 70% less heat than other heat cables or professional ice dam removal and prevention solutions. That means your utility cost will be lower.
Hiring a professional to install your heat cables is preferred over DIY, but you can surely rely on your local handyman to do the installation for you properly. Preventing ice dams can be very cost-effective. Hiring a professional rather than a DIY installed system) to help you with the task simply ensures you get all the benefits from the heating cable you are supposed to receive. With the ice dam prevention products from HotEdge, you can rest easy when you see snow outside.
As the snow is melting and snow removal becomes a task in your driveway, you will not have to focus your attention on your roof, eaves, attic, soffit ventilation, or any other area on the top or edge of your home. The professional ice dam prevention and ice dam removal system – a heat cable – from HotEdge has you covered.
At HotEdge, we offer various ice dam prevention products so that you will not have to worry about ice dams no matter what kind of roof you have on your home. Our ice dam prevention products cover new and existing asphalt shingles, metal, synthetic or natural slate, wood shake, concrete tile, and flat (EPDM) roofs. For ice dam prevention, our ice melting solutions include:
- HotShingle PRO
- HotShingle PRO2X
- HotValley PRO
- HotFlashing PRO
- HotShingle LOK
- HotShingle LOK2X
- HotEdge Rail
- HotSlate PRO
- HotSlate PRO2X
- HotShake PRO
- HotShake PRO2X
- HotTile PRO
- HotTile PRO2X
Whatever type of roofing you have on your home (shingles, metal, or anything in between), HotEdge has a heat solution to help you prevent ice dams from forming on your roof. If you are unsure of the ice dam solution that is right for your home, our expert technicians are available to discuss the needs of your home and recommend the best product in order to prevent ice dams and the damage they can cause to shingles, metal roofing, and more.
Suppose you are a resident in a cold area of the United States or Canada and have seen first-hand the destructive nature of ice and ice dams on your roof or the roof of a neighbor. With this, you may be a candidate for an ice melting system engineered by HotEdge. Our state-of-the-art ice dam prevention solutions only require one heat trace cable. They will keep your electrical costs for the operation of the heated ice dam solution at least 30% lower than other hot cable options available.
Our ice dam prevention experts understand the importance of keeping your roof in tip-top condition. The serious effects of ice dams can create structural integrity issues and premature roof failure. If ice dams are a serious concern for your home, contact HotEdge to find out about all of our solutions for ice dams and how we can accommodate an installation for your specific roof type.
HotEdge is the world leader as the company manufactures accredited ice melt solutions and prevents the destruction of ice dams. Our team is here to ensure that homeowners get the right system for their roofs, so that ice dams are no longer a major concern for them and their families.