When snow accumulates on a roof and the heat from the structure melts that snow, the resulting water runs downhill towards the eave of the roof. The area of the roof outside of the outer walls of the structure is not heated so its much colder (frozen) that the upper roof, so when the water reaches that section of the roof, it freezes. This cycle repeats and eventually builds a wall or dam of ice. Now you have a problem because the water on your roof can’t get off, so it goes into your structure.

The destruction resulting from an ice dam is caused by the water finding its way down, but since it can’t go down your roof like it’s designed, it actually goes uphill into cracks, tiny holes, and seams in your roof, then into your structure. This water intrusion causes flooding, mold, interior damage, and general chaos.

• There are 3 effective ways to deal with ice dams.
  1. Architectural Enhancements – This focusses on stopping the heat transfer from the interior of the structure to the underside of the roof. Insulation, ventilation, and sealing of all air leaks into the attic space is the best way to prevent and stop ice dams from forming. Unfortunately, it is also the most expensive and often is cost prohibitive to most property owners.
  2. Roof Shoveling – Effective, yet usually impractical, shoveling off the snow from the entire roof after an accumulation of snow of 2 inches can be an effective method of preventing ice dams. Contrary to popular belief, the entire roof must be shoveled, because if only the lower few feet of snow are removed, the structure can form what’s called Secondary Ice Dams or Double Dams. These are even more damaging because the resulting water intrusion will be concentrated in the interior of the structure instead of towards the outer wall.
  3. Heat Cables – The best option available today is heat cable that can be applied to specific problem areas of a structure. Correctly designed and installed, commercial self-regulating heat cable is the most efficient method of dealing with ice dams. An important note is that heat cable does not melt the entire ice dam, but rather prevents destruction by cutting channels through the ice for the water to drain off the roof. Equally important is that not all heat cable is made equal. Most residential customers are familiar with the inexpensive cable found at home improvement stores known as constant wattage cable. This cable is a FIRE HAZARD and should not be used by anyone. See official US Consumer Product Safety Commission report here. Winter Shield exclusively uses the industry leading self-regulated cable from Radiant Solutions here in the United States.

In short, NO : ) As this illustration shows, if your structure has ice dams without gutters, it will have them with gutters and vice versa. The gutters just extend the buildup of ice, they done cause the dam to form. When installing heat cable on a structure with gutters, we install cable inside the gutters and in the downspouts so the liquid water stays liquid all the way down and away from the building. Sometimes cabling subterranean drain pipes is necessary if they are not run below the frost line. Skipping gutters, downspouts, or subterranean drain pipes is a surefire way to cause a frozen nightmare for yourself in the future. Trust us, don’t do it.