Camp Prime Time gets much needed roof ice dam prevention system.
Prior to the winter of 2014/15, Edge Melt Systems was contacted to help solve a tricky situation at a camp for terminally ill children. A little background on this great facility:
Camp Prime Time -
In 1982, two men who had enjoyed the great outdoors of the Pacific Northwest were helping two boys with disabilities fish, boat, and enjoy the wilderness. The idea struck; why not find a place to help those who are physically less fortunate learn about the outdoors and experience nature at its best?
Three years later, the two men joined with others to form a task force which studied, planned, and established a framework for a recreational facility for terminally/seriously ill or disabled children and their families. Their vision was not for a “specialized” camp, but rather a facility that could be a “setting” for individuals and their families to enjoy the beauty of the mountains.
In 1986, Prime Time was incorporated to establish and direct a camp facility. The group obtained an existing unused camp near Clear Lake in the beautiful Wenatchee National Forest. The camp is approximately seven miles east of White Pass, Washington, on Highway 12. The Prime Time staff and volunteers continue to remodel, update, and maintain the facility so that it can accommodate these special families.
-From Camp Prime Time website
The Tricky Ice Dam Problem -
The problem was a compound one requiring both ice dam prevention and gutter protection. The remoteness coupled with the gutter clogging pine and fir trees along with the heavy winter snow fall, meant Camp Prime Time needed a system that had to perform. Oh, there was a metal roof already installed that compounded the problem. How could a system be retrofitted to meet these conditions. Here is a description from the organization's president:
Camp Prime Time is located in a very remote mountain setting experiencing moderately heavy snowfalls. Since the lodge is surrounded by large fir and pine trees, we have to contend with accumulations of needles and other debris. The combination of heat trace and the gutter guard screens has been working well. In the winter, the camp is only accessible by snowshoes or snow mobiles for periodic inspections. We have an automatic propane fired generator to provide power when the utility system is out of service. You will find information and photographs describing the camp at www.campprimetime.org.
VersaScreen Heated Gutter Guards to the rescue!
The perfect solution was our patented heated gutter guard, the VersaScreen FE5. This gutter guard features a design that is compatible with metal standing seam roofs and has a built in heat cable at the front edge to prevent ice dam formation. As one of the board members remarked about the system:
The system is working as designed and to my knowledge without any issues. We had some major snow last year and the gutters seemed to manage it quite well. A normal year is 4 to five feet of snow on the ground. The gutter screens also seem to be doing a good job of allowing the water to enter the gutter and yet keep the needles from building up in the gutters.
Edge Melt Systems is the only Roof Ice Prevention company to provide a total solution that covers all aspects of homes, businesses, resorts, commercial institutions and more. Other manufacturers would have scratched their heads trying to cut the metal roofing back to get their system in or pushing a flimsy sheet metal heat cable bracket against the roof edge without gutter guards. EMS solved it easily.
Another constraint for Camp Prime Time was the budget. They operate off of volunteers and donations. To help with getting the camp what it needed while still meeting their budget, Edge Melt Systems provided the entire system at cost. Our systems are already more affordable than others. We wanted to go a step further to help out. If you want to donate to this worthwhile cause, just follow this LINK TO DONATE.
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