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What can you tell me about ice dams and heat cables.........

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16 comments

  • hillbille

    just had a metal roof put on our house month or so back, so I am wondering about the same thing, keep us posted on what you find out and what works......

    0
  • toad67
    hillbille: 30423024939931/comments/30423066554523

    just had a metal roof put on our house month or so back, so I am wondering about the same thing, keep us posted on what you find out and what works......

    From what I've read so far, a self regulating cable is the best, for many different reasons, and are the only ones that can be used on a metal roof.

    3
  • montanajoe
    • Community moderator

    I did a thread on this topic a couple years ago when I had heat cable installed. Let me see if I can find it.

    0
  • allen griggs

    If you have proper roof ventilation, you should not have a problem with ice dams. Do you have a conventional attic? Do you have a ridge vent? Please describe your roof ventilation.

    0
  • toad67
    allen griggs: 30423024939931/comments/30423019481243

    If you have proper roof ventilation, you should not have a problem with ice dams. Do you have a conventional attic? Do you have a ridge vent? Please describe your roof ventilation.

    Standard attic with ridge and soffet vents, the house is brand new. Problem is on the east side where it gets just enough sun to melt it a little bit on the black shingles., but doesn't melt the gutters at all, so the melted water flows down to the frozen gutters, ice builds up on the roof and builds icicles from the gutters. With gutters full of snow, they don't drain that well, especially in the cold. Everything is fine until it gets out above the eaves where there is nothing under the soffets other than cold freezing air. We haven't been above the mid 20's for a week and a half or so.

    0
  • Mr. Perfect

    Just use some tannerite on the dams. Problem solved.

    6
  • toad67
    Mr. Perfect: 30423024939931/comments/30423043395611

    Just use some tannerite on the dams. Problem solved.

    Hey honey, hold my beer and watch this.....

    6
  • montanajoe
    • Community moderator

    I did all I can here.

    9
  • Mr. Perfect
    toad67: 30423024939931/comments/30423025120539

    https://forums.gunbroker.com/discussion/comment/11365094#Comment_11365094

    Hey honey, hold my beer and watch this.....

    Blowing ice dams calls for bourbon.

    6
  • NeoBlackdog

    It's been my experience that gutters and very cold weather do not do well together. You have to keep the gutter and downspouts heated so they don't freeze. That means electrical resistance heat and that can spin your electric meter right off the house.

    The cables can work good on the overhangs, depending on how much overhang there is, but can still lead to significant energy consumption. I wonder if they could be made to operate off of photovoltaics?

    Do you know what type of underlayment was put under the shingles? If it is the newer continuous type then you shouldn't have any issues with leaking above an ice dam. Tar paper can lead to leaks.

    0
  • toad67
    NeoBlackdog: 30423024939931/comments/30423050930203

    It's been my experience that gutters and very cold weather do not do well together. You have to keep the gutter and downspouts heated so they don't freeze. That means electrical resistance heat and that can spin your electric meter right off the house.

    The cables can work good on the overhangs, depending on how much overhang there is, but can still lead to significant energy consumption. I wonder if they could be made to operate off of photovoltaics?

    Do you know what type of underlayment was put under the shingles? If it is the newer continuous type then you shouldn't have any issues with leaking above an ice dam. Tar paper can lead to leaks.

    Talked with my builder the other day, and he said that they installed some type of water barrier just for that reason 6 feet up from the eaves. But I'd still like to remedy the situation..

    3
  • papernicker

    way too many gutters out there

    6
  • Brookwood
    papernicker: 30423024939931/comments/30423067082779

    way too many gutters out there

    YUP! And way too many TV commercials these days for gutter guards! 😖

    3
  • allen griggs

    I understand your problem. Even with proper roof ventilation, you still have frozen gutters.

    As a Southerner I am now fresh out of ideas, we don't deal with this down here in Dixie.

    3
  • jesnlsn

    Pull the gutters off . The ice is gonna ruin them anyway . No gutters here just big overhangs

    3

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