December 21st, 2016
It’s official. The 2016 ice dam season has begun. We had a number of crews out today removing ice dams from St. Louis Park, Minneapolis, Edina, Minnetonka and St. Paul. We have more ice dam steamers than anyone in the country and yet it always feels like a bit of a scramble the first day. Men, supplies and equipment all being organized and deployed from our headquarters in Hopkins. Our warehouse looked like a war zone today. Hoses, anti-freeze and kerosene containers, steamers, shovels, all scattered around as we assembled the trucks for duty. As hectic as operations are the first day of each season, our clients see none of it. I liken the whole thing to a duck moving across a pond. From above the duck glides seemingly effortlessly but under the water his legs are moving like crazy. After this many years in business, I know this is how most businesses happen.
Before and after of ice dam removal project in Minneapolis
Here’s something cool from today. Our guys are all professional roofers which means they understand exterior envelopes and construction assemblies. Today one of our guys found a massive install error on a low-pitch rolled asphalt roof in Minneapolis. The client had no idea. The original roof installer failed to use adhesive between the roofing plies! That’s a major no-no. They also had all of the penetrations negatively lapped (sequenced into the asphalt improperly). Good catch Paul!
The Ice Dam Company is in fact the only company in the country with the in-house chops to diagnose and address problems with insulation, ventilation, roofing, sheet metal and other exterior envelope components. We also install miles of self-regulating heat cable each year on homes where architectural solutions are not appropriate or feasible. Most ice dam removal guys just use their pressure washers to squirt ice off the roof and that’s the end of it. For us, ice dam removal projects are often just the beginning of a longterm relationship with our clients. The Ice Dam Company is a division of Kuhl’s Contracting, the third largest residential construction and remodeling company in Minnesota. There is a huge amount of cross-pollenization between the organizations. Each benefits from the resources and talents of the other. It’s fun to witness.
Ice dam removal project before and after photos from Minneapolis project 12-21-16
Tags: best ice dam removal business, best ice dam removal company, ice dam heat cable installer, Ice dam heat tape, ice dam prevention experts, Ice dam removal, ice dam removal and prevention in Minnesota, ice dam removal minneapolis, roofing company minneapolis
Posted in Ice Dam Heat Tape, Ice Dam Prevention, Ice Dam Removal, Ice Dam Removal with Steam, Roof Snow Removal
December 19th, 2016
Ice dams have begun.
In my travels around Minneapolis today looking at ice dam prevention jobs, I noticed a number of homes that already exhibit signs of ice dams. To be more specific, I noticed water and ice coming down the siding and in through the eaves on a number of homes such as the one shown here. This represents a clear signal that water is backing up behind an accumulation of ice on the roof and going where it’s not supposed to go. Want more signs of ice dam issues, click here. With another snowstorm approaching on Christmas, I’m predicting that this might be another troublesome year for Minneapolis homeowners relative to ice dams.
Ice dam removal Minneapolis
What can you do? Unfortunately, once ice dams form and begin to cause problems, the only answer is to have them professionally removed. We use true steamers, machines that superheat water to steam. How do you tell the difference between a high temperature pressure washer used by competitors and a steamer? It’s simple. Does the gun have a trigger or not? If it has a trigger, it is simply NOT a steamer. IDSAFE, a unique organization whose entire purpose is to educate property owners on ice dam steaming, can be found here. The Ice Dam Company is a proud member of IDSAFE. All of our machines have been verified to meet the standards of true ice dam steamers, unlike two of the largest ice dam removal companies in the Twin Cities. (You know who you are!).
Of course the better answer to ice dam removal in Minneapolis is ice dam prevention. We engage in more ice dam prevention work than anybody in the United States, employing both architectural solutions and non-architectural solutions which includes heat tape and heat cable, insulation, roofing, remodeling and general home performance inspections.
Our sister company, Kuhl’s Contracting, engages in the hundreds of attic insulation retrofits and reroofing projects every year in Minneapolis and surrounding communities to address the underlying causes of ice dams. Kuhl’s Contracting also installs heat cable and heat tape on commercial properties and residential properties all over Minnesota. We are proud to sell HeatTapePro, made by Radiant Solutions Company, a premium self-regulating commercial grade heat cable available on a number of online retailers including Amazon. HeatTapePro can also be purchased at The Heat Cable Store, an online direct-to-consumer website that sells a number of heat cable and heat tape products by different manufacturers. Of course, you may also buy HeatTapePro here, at The Ice Dam Company Store.
Click here to schedule an appointment with our ice dam removal or ice dam prevention teams.
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Posted in Ice Dam Heat Tape, Ice Dam Prevention, Ice Dam Removal, Ice Dams, Misc., Ice Dams: General Info
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
Posted in Ice Dam Heat Tape, Ice Dam Prevention
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)
Posted in Ice Dam Removal
October 5th, 2015
Roof deicing cable for ice dam prevention by the Ice Dam Company
Over the years we have heard people call heat cable many things.
Heat Coils for ice dam prevention:
Heat coils most likely get their name from the fact that the material itself, that is the heat cable, comes in coils and when installed by a hack is sometimes left in coils on the roof. Heat coils for ice dam prevention are of course the same thing as heat cables.
Roof deicing cables for ice dam prevention:
Roof deicing cables get their name from their primary purpose, to deice roofs. The name is a bit of a misnomer, however, because technically, roof deicing cables do not deice the entire roof, or even the majority of it. Ice dam deicing cables only melt channels through a small percentage of the ice dam to enable the passage of water through the ice dam so water is not able to back up behind the ice dam, into the roof material and into the home. Roof deicing cable is commonly used in the control of ice dams. Notice that there is a big distinction between preventing ice dams and controlling ice dams. Roof deicing wire and roof deicing cable is not meant to prevent ice dams so much as it is meant to control the affects of ice dams on roofs.
Gutter heat cables, Gutter heat tape and Gutter deicing cable:
Gutter heat tape also known as gutter heat wire, is used in the same fashion as heat cable, heat tape and roof deicing cable. It’s primary purpose is to melt ice, or more specifically, to prevent the original formation of ice in the gutter. As discussed in the here general section, gutters in fact have nothing to do with either the creation or severity of ice dams. This isn’t to say that using gutter heat tape or gutter heat wire is a bad idea. Having hundreds of pounds of ice form in your gutter system causes problems of its’ own, most notably that the gutters can be ripped off the house by the weight of the ice itself. Gutter heating coils is yet another variation of this category of names.
Gutter ice melting cable for ice dam prevention by The Ice Dam Company
Roof Heat Wire and Roof Heat Coils
As with other names, roof heat wire gets its’ name from the perception of its’ intended function. It’s just another way of saying heat cable or heat tape. Roof heat wire is wire on the roof that carries heat with the purpose of controlling ice dams or the damage created by ice formations on a roof.
Tags: gutter deicing wire, gutter heat coils, gutter heat wire, gutter heating cables, Heat cable, heat coils, heat tape for ice dams, heat wire for roof, heating coils for roof, ice dam heat cable, ice dam heat coil, Ice dam heat tape, ice dam prevention coils, ice dam prevention heat cable, roof deicing cable, roof deicing coils, roof deicing tape, roof deicing wire
Posted in Ice Dam Prevention, Ice Dams, Misc.
October 4th, 2015
HEAT CABLE CLIP COST:
CLICK HERE TO BUY ROOF CLIPS FOR SLATE ROOF HEAT CABLE INSTALLATION
$.78 to $1.22 Per Heat Cable Clip (Traditional, mechanically fastened clip used for standard asphalt roofs)
$25.00 to $35.00 Per Heat Cable Clip (Slotted clip used for slate, tile and cedar roofs)
$.78 to $1.22 Per Heat Cable Clip (Traditional, mechanically fastened clip)
We sell a wide variety of clips, brackets and doohickies for the installation of ice dam heat cable. There are three basic varieties of clips one can buy through the Ice Dam Company.
Roof clips for ice dam heat cables
Mechanically Fastened Heat Cable Clips:
This type of clip is either nailed or screwed onto the roof. It is by far the most common clip sold on The Ice Dam Company website and is used primarily to secure heat cables and roof deicing wire to asphalt roofs. Our installers use these clips to install ice dam heat cable by either nailing or screwing the clips directly to the roof surface, usually in conjunction with a blob of special polyurethane caulk. Once installed, these clips are used to hold the ice dam cable in place permanently without creating wear points that might eventually abrade through the cable and cause issues with functionality. The average cost of these heat cable and roof deicing wire clips for ice dam control is $.78 to $1.22 Per Heat Cable Clip, depending on style, color and order quantity.
Slotted Clips and Brackets for Heat Cable:
As the name suggests, this family of clips is slotted in order to allow installers to use existing fasteners on a roof system to hold the clip in place. The most common application is the slate roof clip or cedar roof clip. Such clips are slipped up, under the existing roofing material and hooked around the nails being used to hold the clip in place. Using slotted heat cable clips is the suggested method of installing heat cable and roof deicing cables on slate roofs and sometimes on cedar roofs because of the non-invasive, non-destructive nature of the install. Slotted roof heat cable and roof deicing clips are far more expensive for ice dam prevention installations than traditional heat cable clips. The average cost of these heat cable and roof deicing wire clips for ice dam control is $25.00 to $35.00 Per Heat Cable Clip, depending on style, color and order quantity. The vast majority of the slotted clips we sell are made of copper and are for use on slate roofs.
Glue-on clips for ice dam heat cable and roof deicing cable:
The third and final style of clips we sell are Glue-on clips. These clips are used on metal and single ply roofing systems, such are EPDM (rubber) and TPO membranes. Installing heat cable and roof deicing wire on metal roofs is not nearly as common as on other systems such as asphalt roofs and slate roofs. Metal roofs are simply less prone to ice dams, or more specifically, to damage caused by ice dams. Single ply systems, or roof membranes like TPO or rubber roofs, are even less likely to suffer from the ill consequences of ice dams. This explains why we sell less of this style of roof clip than any other. The average cost of these heat cable and roof deicing wire clips for ice dam control is $.92 to $4.55 Per Heat Cable Clip, depending on style, color and order quantity.
Tags: about ice dams, gutter deicing wire, gutter heat coils, gutter heating cables, heat cable clips, heat wire clips for slate, heating coils for roof, roof deicing coils, roof heat tape clips, slate roof clips for heat wire, slate roof ice dam cable
Posted in Ice Dam Prevention, Ice Dams, Misc.
September 29th, 2015
I was recently interviewed by Realtor Magazine for a piece about preparing home buyers for severe weather –including Ice Dams, why ice dams happen and ice dam prevention methods.
You can read the full Article at Realtor Magazine Here:
Help Clients Prepare for Weather Challenges
The piece also discusses other weather related problems and disasters that can happen from strong winter weather. Check it out. I am frequently interviewed from media and professional sources from all around the country on the topic of ice dams because I started The Ice Dam Company so long ago. We are in fact the largest and the oldest ice dam prevention and ice dam removal company in the country. Before the Ice Dam Company, no other company existed that specialized in this area of business. Now, of course, the web is littered with ‘experts’ and ‘specialists’ purporting to be leaders.
-Steve Kuhl
Tags: about ice dams, best rated ice dam removal contractor, commercial ice removal, edina ice dam removal, edina ice dam steaming, how do I know I have ice dams, minneapolis ice dam removal
Posted in Ice Dam Prevention, Ice Dam Removal, Ice Dams: General Info, Water Damage
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 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 in use on a slate roof
Tags: heat cable roof clips, ice dam heat cable, slate roof
Posted in Ice Dam Heat Tape
March 11th, 2015
As the oldest ice removal company in the USA, we get asked to do some pretty bizarre stuff. We have done our share of strange ice removal projects but one that keeps popping up is removing ice from around cooling towers. What is a cooling tower? I don’t know exactly but I suspect it has something to do with providing chilled air or water to industrial equipment inside buildings. We have removed ice from around industrial equipment, like cooling towers, for many years. The tricky part is that they are normally fed by high voltage and natural gas so you don’t want an inexperienced person attempting this work. We slice away ice from commercial and industrial equipment using the same equipment we use for removing ice dams from homes. That is, we use our modified commercial steamers. Our guys were under such pressure earlier this winter that they worked from 2pm around the clock to 7:30am. The operation of an entire plant depended on the cooling tower being operational. We used two crews to complete the task. It wasn’t a cheap job but the cost of one lost day of production was far worse. Plus, according to the commercial HVAC contractor consulting on the project, there was a good chance that the cooling tower could be seriously damaged if the ice was allowed to remain in place any longer than it was.
Industrial commercial ice removal contractor
Sometimes a crane is required to reach our work.
Commercial roof ice removal using steam
Tags: commercial ice removal, cooling tower ice removal, ice removal from HVAC equipment, industrial ice removal contractor, removing ice from commercial site
Posted in ice dam removal cost, Ice Dams, Misc., Ice Dams: General Info
March 3rd, 2015
We are often asked “How long will it take to remove my ice dams?”. While it may surprise you to hear this, after having removed thousands of ice dams, we still can’t give a definitive answer. Sure, most projects typically take somewhere between 2-6 hours, but that’s a big range. We ask that people send photos of their ice dams so that we can see what is happening. This helps us estimate costs to some degree. Specifically, these photos tell us approximately how long the ice dams are along an eave area. That is great. It’s also important to see what the site conditions are like. Is the job 8 feet or 28 feet off the ground? Will the chunks of ice we are removing fall harmlessly to the ground or is the ice dam located about a glass solarium that will need extensive protection? But even when we are armed with good photos there are still a number of variables that factor into the cost of removing an ice dam, the most important of which is what we call ‘depth’. The depth of an ice dam is the distance it travels up the roof. Study the diagram below. Notice call-out (A). This distance is in fact the most important factor in determining how long it takes to remove an ice dam (aside from it’s length, of course). Slicing through a 12″ thick ice dam is no big deal if it’s only 12″ deep. If it’s 24″ deep, that’s a totally different story.
The depth, or how far up the roof the ice has grown, is in fact the thing that drives the project time frame more than the thickness. The challenge is that if the ice dam is covered with snow, we can’t see how far up the roof the ice has grown. Only after we shovel the snow back can we get an accurate gauge as to how long the project will take.
Other variables that affect the duration of an ice dam removal job include: Height of work, site access and outdoor temperatures. Most people don’t know this but ice gets significantly harder to cut when it’s really cold out. The character of the ice actually changes and it takes longer to cut, even with the monster commercial steamers we use.
How long it takes to remove an ice dam.
Tags: cost estimate for ice dam removal, cost to remove ice dam, cost to remove ice dams, estimated time for ice dam removal using steam, how long does an ice dam take to steam off a roof?, how long does it take to remove ice dams
Posted in Ice Dam Removal, ice dam removal cost, Ice Dams, Misc.
