Heating cable on fiberglass roof

[Four Seasons]

Snow, rain, freeze, melt & snow again slop weather...

...even with an insulated roof, there is some heat loss - and changeable weater can add to the layers of snow and ice on a flat roof. With the metal frame and Azdel panels used in my 2015 Minnie Winnie 31K, after 7 winters I am not as much concerned about weight on the roof, as I am about the sheet of crap that flies off when I hit the road after a few nights in the snow.

It is next to impossible to clear a roof littered with antennas, vents, solar panels and an air conditioner. I have been thinking about applying outdoor heater cable (not heater tape) on the roof, using adhesive cable tie pads.

I am wondering if anyone else has applied heat cable to a fiberglass roof, and how did it perform? I wonder if snow melting under a layer of snow will created ecapsulated water, possibly ponding and leaking into roof vents.

If you've had some success with heating cable, where and how did you apply the cable to the flat roof?

Thank you, in advance!

[Four Seasons]

Another year has gone by, and I forgot all about the roof heater cable idea - until I ran into wierd lake effect weather again on the north side of Lake Ontario. It snowed a ton, then rained a bit - and I had to scramble up on the roof to move some slop, especially off the slide-out awning when the temperature suddenly started dropping (or I might never have gotten it off.) I'm not a fan of walking the roof in winter, hence the appeal of the roof heating cables... but seeing the ice slop on the roof this time made me wonder if the heating cables might have just made it worse.

Has anyone had any experience with heating cable on a fiberglass roof?

[creativepart]

While I figured this was a one-off idea I thought I should do a Google search of this topic and to my surprise found a few other RVers with this idea.

https://community.goodsam.com/t5/tec...f/td-p/1904407

https://www.irv2.com/forums/f84/heat...of-631639.html

Perhaps a better approach would be covered storage in the winter months? Or a whole RV cover?

[Four Seasons]

Thank you for the links! And thanks for the storage suggestion, but we use the motorhome off and on, all through the winter - skiing, snowshoeing, camping and overnighting at out-of-town shows and other events. The conditions that make me think I want roof heater cables don't happen very often, but when they do - Holy k'moly!

[Ray,IN]

For your circumstances it sounds like a great idea. The heat from the cables can't be hotter than August direct sun.

[Four Seasons]

I agree Ray, the heat shouldn't be an issue - but I just thought of something else... what will happen on a flat Minnie Winnie roof when the melt water re-freezes before it drips away? I wonder if it might create ice along the edge of the roof for lack of drainage?

[Ray,IN]

Roof drainage is easy, just setup the trailer with the nose a couple inches high, it will still be within the refrigerator operation limits. You'll only need to do that when heavy snow/ice is predicted. Run the heat strips longitudinal with the trailer all the way to the back wall.

[Four Seasons]

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

Roof drainage is easy, just setup the trailer with the nose a couple inches high, it will still be within the refrigerator operation limits. You'll only need to do that when heavy snow/ice is predicted. Run the heat strips longitudinal with the trailer all the way to the back wall.

That's a good idea!