i just moved into a new ranch home. the previous owner put up heat coils on his roof. the roof does not have much slope as with most ranch houses. i was thinking one of the following

1. there is a insulation/ ventilation issue and he was getting ice dams in the winter

2. he used the coils to melt snow just to get the snow off faster to decrease the load of heavy snow on the roof.

3. the guy was just old school and there is no problem.

i always thought heat coils meant roof issues. any recommendations. i might want to add that i have a cathedral ceiling where the coils are. there may or may not be insulation up there. likely R-13 if there is, as the rest of the house was done with that.

I'd go with #2

Are there ridge and soffet vents?

no ridge vent, but there are soffet vents.

Are there ridge and soffet vents?

no ridge vent, but there are soffet vents.

I would lean towards three, in that case. Pretty easy to confirm though. Don't turn them on during this storm and keep an eye on it.

thanks.

i know ice dams are a problem and may cause some leakage and wood rot. any recs on things i should do if there are ice dams. the coils seem like a bandaid for a larger problem if that is the case.

I would crawl over to the inside of the facia board inside the attic, lift up the insulation, and check for water stains on the wood, and the reverse side of the sheetrock. The go from there. No wtare stains, no problem, just old school.

My guess is that the roof was installed with out ice shield. The lower 3 or 4 feet or maybe less is susceptable(sp) to ice daming. If you get snow buildup and the heat from the house melts the snow the water will build up on the edge of the roof and freeze. It will slowly dam higher as the snow melts and will find its way into your house under the shingles. The water will come in between the wall and the outer siding or through your ceiling. The purpose for the heater wires is to provide a channel for the water drain off.

Do you also have gutters and heaters in the gutters? Usually they go hand in hand.

If someone installed them you can be sure that there is a definate problem and I would turn them on when the sun is on the roof and the snow is melting.:hihi::hihi:

My guess is that the roof was installed with out ice shield. The lower 3 or 4 feet or maybe less is susceptable(sp) to ice daming. If you get snow buildup and the heat from the house melts the snow the water will build up on the edge of the roof and freeze. It will slowly dam higher as the snow melts and will find its way into your house under the shingles. The water will come in between the wall and the outer siding or through your ceiling. The purpose for the heater wires is to provide a channel for the water drain off.

Do you also have gutters and heaters in the gutters? Usually they go hand in hand.

If someone installed them you can be sure that there is a definate problem and I would turn them on when the sun is on the roof and the snow is melting.:hihi::hihi:

Exactly. The damming develops on the overhang, where there is no heat escaping though the roof. The snow above melts, trickles down and freezes, buiding the dam. It won't build up tonight, but not a bad idea to turn it on tomorrow, especially when the sun comes out and it's still below freezing.

My guess is that the roof was installed with out ice shield. The lower 3 or 4 feet or maybe less is susceptable(sp) to ice daming. If you get snow buildup and the heat from the house melts the snow the water will build up on the edge of the roof and freeze. It will slowly dam higher as the snow melts and will find its way into your house under the shingles. The water will come in between the wall and the outer siding or through your ceiling. The purpose for the heater wires is to provide a channel for the water drain off.

Do you also have gutters and heaters in the gutters? Usually they go hand in hand.

If someone installed them you can be sure that there is a definate problem and I would turn them on when the sun is on the roof and the snow is melting.:hihi::hihi:

yeah, they put them in the gutters too. looks like i have a problem and need a new roof asap. do peopel do roofs in the winter if they time the weather right?

i also talked with an a guy who said if you use a snow rake and get the snow off the edge of the roof you won't have a problem. he said do that in the winter and get a new roof in the spring. any comments on that one?

Its definitely to prevent ice damns. We can go ten years without a problem then the right combination of snow , and warm/cold nights and you get one. Interestingly it has only ever happened on the front of my house. back roof is same but i don't get it there. i think its cause the back is always in shade so it doesn't melt and refreeze each night.

The only other alternative for me was to attach a piece of plywood to a long 2x 4 and i rake the snow off the last foot or two.

i wouldn't worry about it. the fact you have the heaters up there means its been addressed in the past.

i think the newer codes require a sheet of asphalt impregnated cloth for the first 3 to 4 feet so even if the melting and freezing occurs , the water won't climb up past it to get in.

Its definitely to prevent ice damns. We can go ten years without a problem then the right combination of snow , and warm/cold nights and you get one. Interestingly it has only ever happened on the front of my house. back roof is same but i don't get it there. i think its cause the back is always in shade so it doesn't melt and refreeze each night.

The only other alternative for me was to attach a piece of plywood to a long 2x 4 and i rake the snow off the last foot or two.

i wouldn't worry about it. the fact you have the heaters up there means its been addressed in the past.

i think the newer codes require a sheet of asphalt impregnated cloth for the first 3 to 4 feet so even if the melting and freezing occurs , the water won't climb up past it to get in.


i only have coils on the front of my house as well. i'm going to use a snow rake and keep the snow off the first 4 feet of the roof this winter. and look into a new roof in the spring. it is more than 1/2 it's life anyway.

:bl:If you are diligent on turning the heaters on when needed you probably will not have any problem. If they are working right you probably will not have to rake snow off. You can see if they are working when you turn them on they will show the track where the wires are installed. I think you are doing the right thing by waiting to see if they are working and taking care fo the roof & gutters in the summer. It will give you a chance to store some scratch for the job. :bl:

I am not sure if this was said, but the whole problem starts when the snow melts, the snow melts due to no enough insulation in your attic you are having to much heat loss, heat rises.

I would keep the coils till the spring then I would put soffet vents and proper vents if you have vents on each side of the roof peek that should be fine, a ridge vent is better,

It is said that you should have 15 inches of insulation in your attic.

I have been dealing with ice dams in 2 houses for the last 20 years.

I am not sure if this was said, but the whole problem starts when the snow melts, the snow melts due to no enough insulation in your attic you are having to much heat loss, heat rises.

I would keep the coils till the spring then I would put soffet vents and proper vents if you have vents on each side of the roof peek that should be fine, a ridge vent is better,

It is said that you should have 15 inches of insulation in your attic.

I have been dealing with ice dams in 2 houses for the last 20 years.

thanks bob. my house is set up a little weird. the living room in the front has a tall slanted catherdral ceiling. so there is no attic space there. and i'm unsure how much insulation was put in that spot during initial construction (1972).

i did have the remainder of the house insulated properly. and installed the proper vents. so the tall ceilig section is the only problem area. but that pretty much runs the entire width of the house.