Does Your Home Need Heat Cable?

Homes in Park City need to deal with unique weather conditions that make them need climate-specific products. In this article, we will look at conditions where homeowners in Park City should get heat cable installed.

Heat cable is installed on the roof of a home to help melt snow and ice buildups. You’ve likely seen heat cable on homes around your neighborhood on the eaves(edges) of a roof. There are two main reasons why homes in Park City need heat cable: insufficient roof insulation and rooftop ice dam buildups.

Insufficient roof insulation leads to ice dams forming on homes, especially on north-facing roof faces.

Ice dams form from a complex interaction between the amount of heat loss from your home, the outside temperature, and snow cover.

For ice dams to form, you need there to be snow on a roof, the outside temperature must be below 32 degrees F on average, and the higher portions of your roof must be above 32 degrees F.

When these three factors happen in harmony over sustained periods, ice dams form.

As the snow on your roof begins to melt at the top where the surface temperature is above 32 degrees F, it melts to the bottom of the roof that is below 32 degrees and freezes.

This happens because heat rises, and your home is losing heat through the roof. This causes the areas above your living area to heat up while the eaves or edges of your roof that extend beyond the indoor living area to maintain the outdoor temperature.

As this happens over and over, the ice dam builds in size, and the potential dangers grow.

A properly insulated roof doesn’t allow sufficient heat transfer from the inside of a home to the roof, preventing ice dams from forming.

While homeowners could improve the insulation in their home, it is a major project to undertake and unless you're ready to have your ceiling torn out or are replacing your roof, it’s not advised.

Installing heat cable helps eliminate the issue as any snowmelt isn’t allowed to freeze on the edge of the roof thanks to the heat cable warming the area to 40 degrees Fahrenheit.