Metal Roof Valley Ice Dam

Ask this old house general contractor tom silva explains the best ways to keep your roof and gutters free from those dreaded ice dams.

Metal roof valley ice dam. Stop ice dams with a cold roof. Or plan for a roof ice melt system to be used. Unique heat tape cable systems for the roof valley and the roof flashing on metal roofs. This only occurs when part of your roof warms to above 32 degrees f warm enough to melt the snow while the roof edge remains below freezing.

See below for a shopp. Ice belt metal panels are typically short 3 4 and wide 2 5 3 and are made of thin gauge aluminum. Heat tape metal roofs. Ice belt metal panels many roofs are made of shingles which work well to remove water until it starts to travel upward.

Most insulation has an r value of 2 2 to 3 8. The hotvalley roof ice melt system track holds a single or double run of ul listed self regulating heat cable. This is the single biggest reason why homeowners contact wisconsin ice dam solutions with metal roof and ice dam problems. You will still want to have an adequate.

To take a more pro active approach in preventing ice dams you can install ice belt metal panels which are installed along the eaves to block water. That extra bit r value from the snow can make a big difference. Another option to consider is a metal roof. There are products out on the market that can prevent ice dams and keep them from forming.

If you do not want to install an entire new metal roof you can put metal only where it is really needed to prevent ice dams along the eaves. When valleys and other problem areas exist on a home it is imperative that the proper underlayments be used to prevent water leaking in from ice dams. This scenario is often the result of a warm attic. Heat cable ul listed to prevent ice dams.

It spreads the heat across a 1 5 or 3 wide cable which creates a wide melt path for snow melt water to prevent ice dam formations it is recommended that hot valley be used in combination with any hotedge roof edge ice melt system. That s even more of a problem in roof valleys because there s more snow in your valleys. So if you have a choice and if ice dams are a big concern look for a home without many valleys on the roof or any valleys at all. By installing a metal roof that has a special coating designed to shed snow and ice causing it to fall off the roof before it has a chance to form into an ice dam you can completely eliminate ice dam formations on your roof in the first place.