A Cost-Effective Fix For Managing Winter Ice Buildup
Heat cables are the go-to for protecting your roof and gutters from snow and ice damming.

Ice and snow are pretty to behold, but both can cause destruction to your roof if not handled with care. Ice damming is a natural phenomenon that occurs when the heat in your home leaks through your attic, warming your roof. When it snows, the warm part of your roof melts the snow that has accumulated making that melted snow (water) flow towards the bottom of your roof and gutter system. Unlike your warm roof, your roof edges and gutter system are still cold. Once the melted snow reaches the cold surface, it refreezes, causing snow and ice buildup and damming.
If your roof is prone to ice damming, here are a few things you can do:
- Be proactive! Removing the snow from your roof following each significant snowfall can help eliminate ice damming.
- Inspect insulation! Check your homes attic insulation. With thin or no attic insulation, you’ll lose more heat during the winter months and your roof will be prone to ice damming. You may need to call an insulation company to help you assess heat loss and add insulation to your attic space.
- Employ heat cable! Get heat cable installed in your gutters. Heat cables will decrease your chances of ice damming by keeping the gutter warm and allowing that melted snow to continue to flow over the roof, through the gutters, and away from your home.
Reminder: Heat cable is installed inside your rain gutter and downspout and it requires access to an outlet, as the cable must be plugged in. By installing the cable inside of the gutter, the entire gutter is heated up, preventing this buildup.
For more information about the benefits of heat cables, check out our blog post Why You Should Consider Heat Cables For Your Gutters .
At Rainman Seamless Rain Gutters in Spokane, Washington, we have been providing quality gutter installations and other services since 1992. We offer a wide variety of products to help homeowners maintain their gutters and keep their home safe from rainwater overflows which cause flooding and other serious problems. Contact our team to learn more about heat cable installation and to determine if it is the right choice for your home.








