Yeah, I’ve noticed the same thing with heat cables—they only seem to clear a narrow channel and the rest of the roof still holds onto the snow.
That’s exactly what I see on a lot of inspections—heat cables just don’t do much for the whole roof, especially with low slopes. Have you checked your attic insulation and ventilation? Sometimes the real culprit is warm air leaking up and melting the snow unevenly, which then refreezes at the eaves. I’m curious, do you get icicles forming too, or just the heavy snow buildup? Those “cool” shingles are a double-edged sword for sure... they help in July, but winter’s a different story.
Yeah, heat cables are kind of a mixed bag in my experience too. They’ll keep a little path open, but the rest of the roof still gets buried, especially on those low-pitch sections. I’ve seen way more improvement after beefing up attic insulation and making sure vents aren’t blocked—less heat sneaks out, so there’s less melting and refreezing at the edges. Icicles are usually a dead giveaway that something’s off with airflow or insulation. Those “cool” shingles definitely help with summer bills, but winter... not so much.
I’ve noticed the same thing with heat cables—they’re more of a band-aid than a real fix, especially if you’ve got those shallow slopes. Upgrading insulation made a bigger difference for me too, but I’m still seeing some ice dams near the gutters. Has anyone tried adding extra soffit vents or even ridge venting on older homes? Wondering if that’s worth the hassle, or if it just ends up letting in more cold air without much payoff.
Adding more soffit vents can help, but only if you’ve got decent airflow all the way up to the ridge. Otherwise, it’s like opening windows on both ends of a tunnel that’s blocked in the middle—nothing moves except your frustration. I’ve seen folks cut in new ridge vents on old houses, and yeah, it’s a pain with all the layers, but sometimes it really does help. Just don’t skip checking your baffles first, or you’ll basically be venting into a wall of insulation... ask me how I know.
I’ve always wondered if adding more soffit vents actually makes a difference, or if it’s just a bandaid when the real problem’s somewhere else. I tried it last winter—cut in a couple more, but didn’t see much change until I realized the insulation was blocking the airflow up near the eaves. Ended up crawling around with a flashlight and a yardstick, clearing out the mess and making sure the baffles were open. Not fun, but it finally stopped the ice dams. Anyone else have to deal with old insulation falling down and blocking things up?
