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Time to Think About Ice Dam Prevention

After being brutalized by this winter, many of our clients are considering a permanent move to a warmer place to avoid the headaches associated with ice dams in the future. It’s true that Florida has certain advantages, but we may have a cheaper solution. Heat cables and Heat Tape. 

In combination with our sister company (or is it brother?) The Ice Dam Company, we install a ton of heat cables (often called heat tape, heat coils or heat trace) here in Minnesota. Not many people actually understand how to properly design, source and install ice dam prevention cables and as a result we are often called in to tear out and reinstall existing heat cable jobs. We install pre-terminated plug-in heat cables that are simply plugged into existing outlets and we install custom heat cable systems for both 120 and 240 volt applications. Each system has it’s advantages and our sales people can give you the proper guidance as to which is better for your home or business. 

When adjustments to the insulation, ventilation or architecture are not feasible, a high-quality heat cable is the best answer. “High quality” is the key aspect to keep in mind because most of the heat cable installed in Minnesota is just the opposite. Homeowners, handymen and contractors alike fall into the same trap. They buy ice dam prevention cables from Home Depot, Lowes, Menards or their local hardware store, thinking they’ve found the answer to their ice dam woes. In fact, what they have purchased is most likely a disposable product called ‘Constant Wattage Heat Cable’. The differences between self-regulating cable and constant wattage cable are too vast to list here but know this, if you are looking for many years of reliable ice dam prevention you should buy a high quality cable. After all, you’re paying for the labor to have a system installed either way. Constant wattage cables like Easy Heat, Frost King and Heatit offer temporary relief at best, and at worse can actually start on fire if you don’t monitor the leaves and other combustibles around the cable system. We use Heat Tape Pro, by Radiant Solutions Company. Our strategic partnership with that manufacturer means we get great pricing on the best self-regulating heat cable on the market. 

We install heat cable systems on flat roofs, metal roofs, wood roofs, slate roofs, rubber roofs and more. Each system require it’s own set of specialized heat cable accessories and the right technical skill to install it. Kuhl’s Contracting knows this topic inside and out. Click here to get a free estimate for your ice dam prevention heat cable system. 


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