Another Option? Electric Snow Melt

Published Fall 2008 by Hoyt Corbett featured in Radiant Living Magazine

Electric radiant systems can provide an effective solution for roof deicing and snow melt. A recent example is the system installed at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Stake Center in Park City, Utah. The project won first place in the snow/ice melting category of the RPA 2007 System Showcase. WarmQuest, a distributor/contractor for Heatizon Systems, managed the project. The church’s roof utilized metal in the valleys; Heatizon Tuff Cable in a Heatsink Kit were used for those areas. A product called ZMesh was installed under composite shingles approximately eight feet up the roof. Both products were installed on top of ice and water shields. Ther could have been installed directly on top of the sub-roof, but the ice and water shields were already in place. After the heating elements were installed, they were covered with yet another ice and water shield before the valley metal and composite shingles were installed.

The system is activated by an aerial-mounted temperature/moisture sensor and an independent manual override for each of the 10 zones. The sensor is wired to a Heatizon Systems M329 Selector which turns each zone on in sequential order so the primary power source is not overloaded – this selector also provides manual override to turn one or more zones on.

“Aesthetics, longvevity and performance were the church’s primary objectives when selecting the appropriate way to melt the snow and ice off the roof.” says Mike Bench, manager, WarmQuest. “All three goals were met.” Importantly, the roof is protected from ice dams and icicles, and provides safety for the pedestrians below.

Please visit this link Radiant Living FA08 to read the entire issue of Fall 2008 Radiant Living Magazine.