As another winter season approaches, it’s important to analyze your home or business for prevention and protection against the changing weather. According to Disaster Safety, it only takes two feet of snow to put enough stress on a roof for collapse. In addition, one inch of ice on a roof can equal one foot of snow.
Making repairs to your roof and gutters can be hard when the harshness of snow and ice sets in, so getting ahead of winter weather should be a priority.
Let’s look at some winterization solutions that can help you get ready for winter now!
Roof Ice Melt Systems
The formation of icicles and ice dams on roofs can be a serious problem for home and business owners. Not only can they cause total roof collapse, but they can also lead to other issues like water damage, leaking and injury. Roof Ice Melt Systems [RIM] are concealed, aesthetically pleasing roof and gutter de-icing systems that put an end to ice hazards. The system is mechanically secured to the roof to protect heating cable, and provides a continuous heated path for snowmelt in all areas of your roof including eaves, valleys, channels, rakes and flat roofs.
RIM systems work using smart self-regulating heating cables, which automatically adjust power output in response to temperature and moisture changes. This also provides an energy-efficient way to protect roofs during icy months.
These systems are also relatively maintenance-free and can handle additional winter conditions like high winds and elevation.
Pipe Freeze Protection
In some of the colder areas of the country, insulation alone isn’t enough to keep pipes from bursting and freezing. Burst pipes can be costly to repair, and cause significant damage to your property.
Heat tracing solutions replace the heat lost through thermal insulation and provide freeze protection to your pipes. Whether they are located inside, outside, above or below ground – heat tracing cable can prevent potential damage.
Pipe freeze protection systems can also provide protection in temperature-critical applications, like fire sprinkler systems. Pipes can freeze and prevent fire suppression systems from functioning properly if not protected in areas like open parking garages, loading docks, stairwells or freezers. A fire sprinkler freeze protection heating cable system can freeze protect above ground and buried supply pipes, fire standpipes, branch lines and branch lines containing sprinklers in areas subject to freezing. This code compliant solution ensures that the fire suppression systems function when called upon.
Surface Snow Melting
During the icy months, the risk of falls increases exponentially. According to the American Journal of Emergency Medicine, around 195,000 people in the U.S. visited the emergency room for snow shoveling injuries between 1990 and 2005.
Electric snow melting systems can keep garages, walkways, ramps, stairways and other areas free of ice and snow and help prevent slips and falls. There are two types of electric snow melting systems – self-regulating and mineral insulated (MI) heating cables. Both provide benefits to fit your needs. A self-regulating heating cable reduces heat output automatically as the pavement warms, resulting in lower energy use and eliminating the possibility of overheating. A mineral insulated (MI) constant wattage cable can provide high power output, a consistent heat source that’s ideal for embedded snow melting applications.
While some other snow melting systems can be complicated to install, electric snow melting systems provide a simple design and can lower costs with a variety of energy efficient snow sensors and controller options to meet a wide range of design requirements.
Is Your Building Ready for Winter?
Winter should be a season to enjoy with friends and family, not fear costly repairs and safety risks. There is still time to analyze your building and put in place the systems that will keep your home or business safe and ice-free.
