Ice Dam Heat Flat Roof

Heat tape aka heat cables are designed to create channels through the ice dam to let that water escape.

Ice dam heat flat roof.

Conduction is heat energy traveling through a solid. If snow and ice accumulate on your roof heating cables are an easy and effective to solution to eliminate melt the ice dams before they cause major damage. This scenario is often the result of a warm attic. Conduction convection and radiation.

Heat from the house travels to the roof surface in three ways. Ice dams and icicles form when the snow melts runs down your roof and refreezes near the edge. Ice dams cause leaks when snow melts higher on the roof and that melt water hits a dam of ice. Massive ice dams on low slope shed dormer roof the main causes of ice dams are poor ventilation and or inadequate insulation in the attic.

With nowhere else to go the water is forced to back up under the roofing materials and into the structure. When it reaches the eaves where the temperature of the roof is colder the water refreezes. The intent was both to assure drainage through the present ice dam and to keep drainage passages open along the roof edge should there be more snowfall. When it snows outside a thick layer of snow settles on the roof and the warm air from the attic slowly melts the snow.

Prevent future ice dam leaks. Our mats can be placed under asphalt shingles synthetic slate and shake and both standing seam and pro panel roofing giving you the continuous look to the roof edge. Ice dams can pose many problems. This only occurs when part of your roof warms to above 32 degrees f warm enough to melt the snow while the roof edge remains below freezing.

The heat tape was placed in a series of parallel loops on the roof surface concentrating the loops in the lowest point from which the roof should drain. They form when snow melts in warmer areas of the roof sending water running down toward the edge. As more and more water melts down the roof and refreezes at these locations ice builds up and forms a blockage or dam. Use this calculator to estimate the cost and length of heat cables for your home based on your roof length and overhang width.

A good example of this is the heating of a cast iron frying pan.