A Property Manager from Connecticut writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
Thought I would use your help via Ask Mister Condo. Ice damming is a problem and we are trying to determine if there are any condominiums complexes in CT that have installed “heating cables” in gutters to melt ice/snow in the winter to avoid ice damming problems.
Mister Condo replies:
Thanks for writing! Always happy to assist a fellow Nutmegger! I have heard crazy stories of ice dams at condos, especially with the last couple of winters we have had here. I do not personally know of any condos that are using anything other than a salt mixture on the roof and gutter and the occasional roof rake to get rid of the snow before it becomes ice. I hear the stories of unit owners banging their gutters with everything from brooms to hammers and I think we all know how disastrously those stories end! So, let’s ask the readers of our website; are any of you using “heating cables” or any other type of “heating tape” to keep the water moving off the roof and prevent freezing in the gutters and forming damaging ice dams? Please write in and share your stories. Thank you!