Ice dams and heat tape questions
I would like to talk to anyone who is knowledgeable about ice dams, and the best way to operate heat tape. Any neighborly advice would be greatly appreciated. I am at 490 Crestview Dr. Happy winter and think snow. Call (435-901-4776), e-mail (mrbigsky@juno.com) or post in-line.
John Barrett
2 Comments
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unfortunately my experience with heat tape is that it really doesn’t work very well. the idea is that it clears a small channel in the ice, to allow the dams to drain so that the ice and water don’t back up under your shingles, and cause leaks into the house. if you have a metal roof, you’ll be ok (though the weight of the ice will eventually become a problem). from what i can tell the only real solution is a ‘cold roof’ this is where you have a small gap between the underside of your roof, open to the outside, and the insulation. what this does, is keep the temperature of your roof, below freezing. if the snow on your roof doesn’t melt, then there is no water to refreeze on the eves, to form the ice dams.
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We used heat tape the first year in our house and had water problems inside the house. We have not used the heat tape the past two years, I added some insulation to the problem areas and turned off the heat vents directly below the spot. We seem to be good now.