Colorado is notorious for its wintertime freeze-and-thaw cycles. They ruin our roads, causing cracks and potholes. They even splinter our mountains, sending rocks and boulders tumbling onto highways and the cars driving on them, sometimes as large as the cars themselves. And they can wreck roofs and gutters, especially when ice dams are created.

Don’t Let Your Roof Be Dammed This Winter

Icicle lights may be pretty at holiday time, but if you have the real things, you may have a problem with ice dams. And early fall, before the heavy snow and ice arrive, is the best (and safest) time to prevent them.

Ice dams are a particular concern in Colorado, where bright, direct sunlight can cause snow and ice to melt, even on days when the air temperature stays well below freezing. They are created when melting snow refreezes before being carried away by your gutters and downspouts. As the freeze-thaw cycle continues, ice builds up on your roof, in cracks and crevices, and in your gutters and downspouts to the point that melt water doesn’t drain completely, refreezing and expanding. Eventually this damages soffits, facia boards, gutters, and, if it gets under your shingles, the shingles and roof underlayment themselves.

Preventing Ice Dams

The traditional way to prevent ice dams is sweeping accumulated snow off the roof. Needless to say, it’s both inconvenient and fraught with peril. Keeping your roof cold with attic insulation, attic and soffit vents, and sealing leaks of warm air into the attic are good first steps to prevent snow and ice buildup on your roof. When that’s not enough, roof deicing cables let homeowners avoid ice dams that occur despite those passive measures.

Deicing cables come in a variety of styles in various lengths and with different features. Some are designed to be placed under the shingles several feet from the roof’s edge. These are relatively inexpensive to install on a new roof before the shingles are laid down but are expensive and impractical otherwise.

For existing roofs, deicing cables are available that mount on the roof’s edge in a zigzag pattern to create channels for the melt water to run into the gutters and be carried away. It’s also important to allow that water to flow away from the house to avoid foundation problems, just as you do with rainwater. That may require heating cables to be run in gutters and inside downspouts too to prevent them from being blocked by ice.

Safely Installing and Maintaining Deicing Systems

While some deicing cables are advertised as “DIY friendly,” they all involve working high up a ladder and must be connected to an outdoor GFCI outlet. Besides the risk of accidents, the system must be properly rated and installed for correct operation and long-term safety. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that about 3,300 residential fires occur each year because of faulty heat cables, resulting in 150 injuries, 20 deaths, and over $20 million in property damage. Unless you’re very familiar with electrical loads and home wiring (and have cat-like reflexes) we strongly recommend hiring a professional to install your home deicing system.

Allstar Electrical Knows Deicing

The licensed pros at Allstar Electrical Services will install your roof deicing system safely and efficiently. First, we’ll help you select the deicing system and features that are right for you. Then we’ll determine if its electrical load can be carried safely by your existing service. Your outdoor outlets may be connected to household circuits that aren’t designed for the extra current needed for deicing, resulting in annoying breaker trips and potentially disastrous short circuits and overheating.

Once the system is chosen and electrical connections are ready to go, we’ll install the cables in the most efficient way for your roof design so you can rest assured that your roof will remain ice-free throughout this and winters to come.

Fall is the perfect time to get ready for winter, so if you need roof deicing or any other electrical work, give Allstar Electrical Services a call at 303.399.7420 or visit our website. We’re top-rated by the Better Business Bureau and a preferred contractor on Angi’s® Home Advisor. We look forward to serving your electrical needs through the remainder of the year and for many more to come.