Plagued with Roof Ice Dams? What kind of heat cables are best for Ice Dam Prevention?

When we experience winters like they are having in New England, homeowners are desperate to try anything to solve their ice dam problems. For many, the old stand by was the heat cables found at the hardware store. For mild winters, those thin round cables have been able to offer some relief. Not so this year. They might as well not even have been turned on. The record breaking snow falls coupled with the below average temps have been too much for those zig zag heat cables.

So, are there any products that can keep up with what the winter of 2015 has thrown at New England? Here at VersaScreen Gutter Protection, we thoroughly test the products on the market for ice dam prevention. Some are just thin

strips of sheet metal. Some are massive, complex aluminum and steel configurations. One thing is common to most of these systems - self regulating heat cables. These are different than the thin round cables found at the hardware or big box store. 

Self regulating heat cables can be much longer lived than zig zag heat cables. But there can be a big difference in quality. Roof heat cables are rated by the amount of watts per foot used to produce heat. The measurements are based on testing at 32 degrees F in iced water. We go beyond that testing for our systems. We put them in our eave and valley extrusions and test them at temps well below freezing. This is real world testing. Check out our results in the video.

Help is on the way!

If you are tired of the battling ice dams, give us a call - we are happy to help. We can provide you with an ice dam prevention system that will give you peace of mind and protect your home from damage.