Roof Heaters?

[wingsnut]

Does anybody here have any experience with heaters designed to prevent ice dams from forming on the house roof?

We are experiencing record snow fall here in northwest Ohio with a couple mid winter thaws that

have caused ice dams to form on my roof. We have cathedral ceilings in the great room under the problem area that I have insulated and sealed as best I could which seems to have helped a little. This is only happening on the south facing side of the house so I am thinking radiant heat from the sun shining on that part of the roof is a big part of the problem.

Gutters and downspouts are clear.

Looking for those who might have experience with these ice melting systems that can school me in the good/bad.

One of the systems I was looking into was one offer by Summit summiticemelt.com any thoughts?

Thanks,

Chip

 

 

[SSGT500]

I used them on one of my houses. I had to use a good length of them to be effective. I installed mine straight in the gutter and in a W pattern on the roof. The roof cables must come close to the gutter cables to form a drainage path. The narrower in width you make the roof W, the more effective they will be. You have to continue the loop into the downspout to complete the drainage. I installed a GFCI on mine as a safety measure.

[wingsnut]

I used them on one of my houses. I had to use a good length of them to be effective. I installed mine straight in the gutter and in a W pattern on the roof. The roof cables must come close to the gutter cables to form a drainage path. The narrower in width you make the roof W, the more effective they will be. You have to continue the loop into the downspout to complete the drainage. I installed a GFCI on mine as a safety measure.

 

Thanks for the info. Makes sense running them through the downspout as well, something simple and necessary that I'll admit I never even thought about.

Not sure where I thought that water was going to go.

Chip