Author Archive


Heat Tape PRO XL – The Answer to the Outlet Problem

Tuesday, October 30th, 2018

When we install Heat Tape on a clients home, often times we hard-wire the cable directly into their circuit. Sometimes, however, we choose to use our Heat Tape Manufacturer’s (Radiant Solutions) plug-in-ready HeatTape PRO.

One problem that come up often is that there isn’t an outlet near the location on the home where the Heat Tape will terminate. Even though Radiant Solutions Heat Tape has a 48″ cold lead –longer then most company’s 36″ cold lead– many times this is not enough to reach, and we end up working with a licensed electrician to have an outlet installed under the eave that we can plug the Heat Tape into. (The manufacturer doesn’t recommend extension cords, and can’t honor the warranty if one is used.)

Just recently Radiant Solutions released a new product that addresses this very problem. It’s called Heat Tape PRO XL. Heat Tape Pro XL features a 50-foot cold lead, that is designed to reach far away outlets. This solution can save the homeowner a significant amount over hiring an electrician. The result is happy customers.

We are planning to sell Heat Tape Pro XL on this site, but until we do, you can get it at Radiant Solutions Website.


The Ice Dams Cometh!

Tuesday, January 5th, 2016

The Ice Dam company was featured on Kare11 about Ice Dam prevention, preparation and heat cable installation.

Read the Article & See the Video Here


Ice Dam Company’s Steaming Process Highlighted in The Cleaner Times

Tuesday, December 8th, 2015

The Cleaner Times, a trade magazine for power washing and steaming professionals wrote a feature article about the Ice Dam Company and our commitment to the best way to remove ice dams: Steaming. You can read the full article here:

Cleaner Times: Ice Dam Removal

Or download a PDF here:

Cleaner Times: Ice Dam Removal (PDF)


Ice Dam Heat Cable Clips for Slate Roofs

Friday, September 18th, 2015

CLICK HERE TO BUY ROOF CLIPS FOR SLATE ROOF HEAT CABLE INSTALLATION

We sell a huge amount of heat cable clips for ice dam heat cables and roof deicing cables. Most of the roof deicing heat cable clips we sell relate to new ice dam prevention heat cables. Many of the clips we sell, however, relate to people needing replacement ice then heat cable clips.  For example, in the case of a reroofing project, the roofer often removes the existing ice dam deicing cable system and neglects to keep the clips.  A bit of a bummer, but they are easy enough to replace.

One of the less common roof deicing cable clip is made for slate roof applications. Slate roof ice dam cable clips are quite different than standard heat cable installation clips. Here is a photo of the two side-by-side: Slate Roof Ice Dam Heat Cables


Slate roof heat cable clips, also known as slate roof ice dam cable brackets, are far more expensive than standard ice dam heat cable clips. Check for current pricing in our store. Right now our prices for ice dam heat cable clips are as follows: $40 for a box of 25 standard heat cable clips. Slate roof deicing cable clips cost $20 per piece.
Installing heat cables on a slate roof requires special expertise and special accessories. Standard roof deicing projects are often far more affordable based on the clip cost alone.

Ice Dam Heat Cable Clips for Slate Roofs

Ice Dam Heat Cable Clips for Slate in use on a slate roof


The Gutter Ice Misconception

Thursday, February 21st, 2013

We came across an article giving a basic overview of ice dams on About.com. One particular part of the article rang out in familiar tones:

Rows of icicles along the roof of a house look very pretty but they are often a symptom of an ice dam. An ice dam is caused by snow melting from the roof of a house, but then freezing in the gutters creating a dam. (our emphasis)

Read About.com’s Minneapolis Ice Dam Article

It’s a common misconception that gutters are somehow a required ingredient to the ice dam recipe. It’s understandable why this falsehood perpetuates: a gutter is a basin that will catch running water, it’s typically a metal-material so in cold it conducts low temperatures, and gutters live on the edge of the overhang, where ice dams form. –But it’s not explicitly why they form.

Why do Ice Dams form then?

The temperature in your attic should be as close to the temperature outside as possible, but when heat escapes your house, snow on your roof can melt. Even when your attic houses a higher temperature then it should (you have some home performance issues), when that melted water on your roof gets to the overhang, it can refreeze, because there’s no heat source directly below it.

See the following illustration, and also check out Our Definitive Guide on Ice Dams:

Ice dam drawing

 

Looking at  the illustration, you can see we aren’t even showing a gutter, and it’s definitely not uncommon for an ice dam to form in this situation.

Although gutters are not a requirement for an ice dam to form, and having no gutters is not an ice dam prevention solution, gutter ice can cause major damage, simply because of the way a gutter attaches to the overhang facia, and can collect a lot of weight in ice.


If you have problems with ice dams, or require ice dam removal contact the Ice Dam Company today.

If you have a leak as the result of an ice dam, we can help there too.


Reuben in the Strib

Tuesday, February 19th, 2013

Another ice dam removal method-round-up by Reuben, this time in the Star Tribune:

Hack Method of Ice Dam Removal Discussed

At the end of the article Reuben give Ice Dam Company a little screen time where Steve talks about the differences between a true ice dam steamer and high-temperature pressure washers.


Although Less in Minnesota, Ice Dams Abound

Tuesday, January 15th, 2013

Minnesota and the Twin Cities are having another lighter snow season this year.  We are on pace to be well below our average snowfall of about 50″ of snow per winter. When there’s less snow there generally are less ice dams to remove, though snowfall isn’t the only factor that contributes to ice dams forming. Elsewhere there has been more snow that is causing ice dam problems, and we’d thought we’d do a quick round-up of the current status of ice dam formations accross the counrty.

Our Neighbors

Wisconsin has gotten quite a bit more snow then we have, and ice dams are in the news lately.

More than two weeks after the blizzard that paralyzed southern Wisconsin, homeowners may be paying for its effects — broken, snow-heavy limbs and ceiling-spotting ice dams — far into the spring.

Full article From the Wisconsin State Journal About Ice Dams

We found this bit in an article in the Sauk Prairie Eagle about Ice Dams quoting a contractor dealing with Ice Dams in Wisconsin to be fundimentally flawed:

“When there is 10 inches of snow, it’s critical you remove snow from the bottom three to four feet of your roof”

We know from our extensive experience with ice dam removal and ice dam prevention that removing only the bottom 4 feet of snow from your roof  doesn’t always solve the problem. In fact, assuming it has solved things can set you up for double the disappointment. Because Ice dams can still form, and even take on a more damaging form. See our case study on “Double Dams”.

The East

The northeastern region of the US is typically a hotbed for ice dams. Where they generally don’t have the persistant double-sub-zero digit temps for as long as Minnesotas does, they make up for in in the amount of snowfall. The Title of this article from the Press Republican makes the genius assertion: “Ice Dams Contribute to Roof Leaks”, and we think they’re onto something there. Then there’s this article from the Booth Bay Register about preventing ice dams that also has the distinction of having the worst ice dam graphic we’ve seen in a while. We don’t mean to poke fun. Not everyone is as geeky about ice as we are.


Popular Mechanics: Ice Dams

Thursday, January 3rd, 2013

An article in popular mechanics recently published about Ice Dam Prevention, and What to do if you have ice dam problems gets the basics:

To prevent an ice dam, don’t heat the roof, keep it cold. That way, the snow on the roof eventually dissipates without making large amounts of meltwater. The underside of the roof deck should not exceed 30 F. The best way to maintain low temperatures is by ensuring that there is adequate insulation and sealing gaps that let warm air pass into the attic from the house. The attic must also be ventilated, so that cold air is introduced into it and heated air escapes rapidly. Some remodeling contractors are under the impression that heat passing through the attic helps prevent ice dams, when just the opposite is true. Although excess heat moving from the attic through the roof rapidly melts snow, once the meltwater touches the cold eaves, it quickly freezes and forms an ice dam.

Read the full Popular Mechanics Ice Dam Article Here

…Then the article falls short at really looking at solutions to identify root problems (other then proper insulation) and determining solutions. Instead it looks at situations where there’s a furnace in the attic, and then turns it’s focus to cosmetically hiding symptoms of ice dams. Before you go this route, you really should determine what the underlying problem is, and fix it.

If you don’t feel confident in attempting to diagnose and fix ice dam problems yourself, it’s always a good idea to contact a contractor that has a Minnesota State Certified Energy Auditor on staff, has experience in insulation & ventilation installs, fixing roof leaks and making stuff look good.


How to Prevent Ice Dams

Thursday, December 20th, 2012

Our friend Reuben Saltzman at Structure Tech did a nice round-up of ice Dam prevention general knowledge, with examples he’s come across while inspecting homes in the Minnesota winter.

Minnesota got dumped on this weekend with nearly fifteen inches of snow in some areas.  With hardly any snow last winter, we almost forgot what a real snow storm looked like.   I haven’t heard about any concerns over ice dams yet, but I suspect they’ll be coming very soon.  The perfect conditions for ice dams are large amounts of snow and temperatures in the teens and twenties, which is what we’re expected to have this week.

Read the Full Post: How to Prevent Ice Dams


Ice Dam Roof Leak in Minneapolis

Tuesday, December 18th, 2012

Here is what a leak from an ice dam looks like.

Here is what a leak from an ice dam looks like.

Ice dams cause leaks in Minneapolis homes but not usually until later in the ice dam season. I received a call earlier today from a client in Edina with water pouring through her ceiling. The water was coming through a smoke detector (B) and soaking her floor. One interesting but not entirely surprising thing was that the water affected a much larger area than was obvious from below (also showed at location C). Slight cracking in the door frame also indicated water problems (B).

Ice dam removal in Minneapolis Ice dam inspection and prevention

When I looked up I notice a ring of discoloration around the smoke detector (seen in photo, above). The thermal imager revealed a 6′ x 6′ area of wetness around the smoke detector. The client had a hard time understanding why the water had not shown in a larger area until I explained how her ceiling assembly worked. Because there was unconditioned space above the drywall there was also a code required vapor barrier, i.e, plastic sandwiched between the drywall and the ceiling framing. When the ice dam above caused water to back up and leak into the home it collected on top of the ceiling until it found the path of least resistance in the vapor barrier.  In this case that was a smoke detector but it is often a light fixture, a vent or a seam in the plastic itself.

Ice dam removal in Edina

Ice dam removal in Edina

A quick look at the thermal image shows a large dark purple area (photo left, point B). This is wetness that has not yet manifested visually from below. It is damage nonetheless and should be repaired.

We take immense pride in being industry leaders in ice dam prevention, insulation and ice dam removal. There isn’t another ice dam removal company in town that has thermal imaging technology in-house or guys like Tom, who are certified geeks in all things relating to home performance technology.

Ice Dam Removal, Ice Dam Prevention

Removing Ice Dams in Minnesota: We Serve Many Areas in the Minneapolis Metro

The Ice Dam company based out of Hopkins, Minnesota, about 5 miles west of Minneapolis. We've done gutter ice removal, roof ice removal and ice dam removal all over the Twin Cities, on new houses and old ones.

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