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Heat tape for ice damming on the roof?

House Doctor | Gary Dymski

November 3, 2005

Last winter, you wrote about using heat tape on the roof to prevent ice damming. Do you know where I can purchase heat tape? Also, is there a company that installs heat tape? -- Renee Breitner, Nassau County

Heat tape should not be a long-term solution for ice damming but rather an alternative. The first option is to identify the cause, which most likely is inadequate insulation or ventilation in your attic. In winter months, the attic temperature should be about 1 degree different than the outdoor temperature. If heat from the living area of a house is rising too quickly through the attic, it can melt rooftop snow. As this water reaches the edges of the roof, where it is colder, it refreezes, creating layers of ice in the gutters. Since water can't drain from the roof, it backs up and leaks into the attic.

Before investing in heat tape, consider having a roofing or insulation contractor inspect your roof. It might be more expensive to deal with the problem this way, but it will be better in the long run. Having an updated roof and a properly insulated attic are more thorough ways to protect your home.

If you can't invest in a new roof, a contractor should be able to install heat tape. Another quick fix is offered by a company called Ice Viper, which makes tubes of an ice-melting compound. The tubes, about $20 each, melt 5 linear feet of rooftop ice and do not corrode the shingles or gutters. The tubes are placed on the dams once they appear, so you'll have to be able to climb a ladder and have access to your roof. For more information, visit IceViper.com.