We designed HeatTrak snow melting mats to help make the winter season easier for home and business owners. The purpose of the mats is to remove snow, prevent ice buildup, and put an end to shoveling, and reduce slips or falls around your property, all at ground level.

However, many of our customers have discovered a way to take our mats to a new level of usage. That is, to their roofs. This makes sense because snow storms tend to place great strain on roofs.

When snow levels up there deepen, the weight of the snow can cause a dangerous potential for damage, and even collapse. 


Here’s how people commonly use their snow melting mats on their roofs:

Imagine the base of two A-frame roof peaks (AA) meeting and forming a valley (V).  During a storm it’s likely that snow will accumulate inside this V and excess weight will build up. A way to prevent this buildup is to place one of our stair mats in this spot to melt snow there as it falls. 

The most important thing to keep in mind when it comes to using snow melting mats on your roof is the location of the GFCI power unit plug.

Never place the power unit in an area that can become a pool of water. To eliminate this hazard, we recommend using one of our 25-foot extension cables, which can be connected to additional 25-foot extension cables.

So, for example, you can connect two 25-foot cable extenders to reach 50 feet and then run them from the power unit up to the roof where the mats are located. This way, you’re keeping the GFCI power units plugged into the wall outside the house where’s it protected. 

When it comes to attaching your mats to the roof, we advise you speak to your local handyman or roofer about which screws are safe to use. Every roof is unique and we would never want you to end up in a situation that causes a leak in your roof. A certified professional can help you figure out the best method for drilling into your roof.

Can snow melting mats help me prevent ice dams?

Great question — ice poses a major problem for roofs, too. When too much ice builds up in gutters, they can get too heavy and possibly become dangerous. The weight of the ice can cause the gutters to rip away from your home, which becomes an expensive problem for homeowners. 

Ice can also wreak havoc on your shingles once it starts to melt. If you have cracks in your roof, you’ll know it after a snowstorm. That’s because when snow and ice melt and get trapped underneath your shingles, they seep into the cracks and leave brown water stains on your ceiling. 

We’ve found that people use our snow melting mats to prevent this type of damage. They’ll place the mats on the area of the roof that abuts the gutters. This keeps water flowing into the gutters so it doesn’t back up and cause ice dams. 

This is another situation in which you must protect the power unit. Make sure your power unit is plugged into the side of your house, use a HeatTrak extender if needed, and speak to a professional contractor if you want him to drill into your roof.