Custom Ice Dam Prevention System on a Cedar Shingle Roof in Wales, Wisconsin.

We were recently hired to provide ice dam prevention for a customer in Wales, Wisconsin. The project involved three locations which built up with ice and caused leaking. The homeowner had struggled with this for years after an addition created some tricky areas. We were sought out after the original roofing contractor double the installation price to go from a 120v system to a 240v system. (Our heat cable is the same price for 120v or 240v). The price should have gone down since the 240v system would have required less junction locations. Oh well, too bad for them. This was a really great project and a great homeowner to work for.

The project involved heating the roof edge, valleys, gutter guards, gutters, downspouts and along side the dormers. We used the IceBlaster Edge Melt System (EMS) heated eave and valley panels along with a custom bracket to house the heat cable at the front edge of the existing gutter guards. We added black downspouts to carry the water from the upper gutters to the lower gutters. All of the gutter bottoms were treated with heat cable as well. We used the Medium Bronze color for the cover panels since it was the best match to the weathered color of the cedar shingles. 

The first contractor was going to string the heat tape in a zig zag fashion on the roof. This is a walk out deck which is also viewed from the back patio area. How unsightly that would have been. Along with the ugly appearance, the zig zag cables would have been far less effective than our installation. Truly a bonus - looks better, works better. Oh, we were also able to come in at a price that was very pleasing to the homeowner.

This is what we do. Don't settle on a roofing contractor to give you less than you paid for. Their lack of experience means you may end up with an ugly, poorly designed system. Contact us for a comprehensive quote.