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As winter weather becomes more volatile, managing snow loading on commercial roofs is increasingly important. Heat Mat’s bespoke Ice & Snow Systems can be engineered to mitigate snowdrift build-up in high-risk zones, helping to protect existing structures without disruptive and costly reinforcement work.
A luxury car manufacturer in North West England expanded their premises by constructing a new warehouse beside an existing, lower structure. With the new building abutting the older one, the increased wall height introduced a risk of snowdrifts forming on the existing roof. That roof was not reinforced to accommodate the additional load from potential drift build-up, and structural strengthening would have been costly and disruptive.
Project at a glance
The objective was to reduce the risk of snowdrifts building up on the existing roof and adding significant weight, without reinforcing the roof structure. The client identified the highest risk areas for drift formation, allowing Heat Mat to focus protection exactly where it was needed.
Heat Mat carried out a site visit to assess the roof construction, determine the most suitable heating cable type, and specify an appropriate fixing method. With limited power available on site and a large area to protect, a constant-wattage heating cable was selected over trace heating cables to remain within the available power requirements.
Custom-length snow-melting cables were manufactured to accurately cover the required zones, and Heat Mat worked with the installation team to specify proprietary roof fixings and specialist adhesives to simplify installation on site.
System specifications
Each section of roof was assigned its own controller operating with moisture and temperature sensing for fully automatic control. Heat Mat carried out a full commissioning visit, including sensor testing and a thermal imaging survey, to verify performance and sign off the project.
Within weeks of installation, significant snowfall hit the Crewe area before final commissioning and sign-off. The system activated automatically and melted snow in the protected zones, performing exactly as designed.
Why zone control matters
By splitting the roof into multiple independently controlled zones, the system targets only the areas most at risk of drift build-up. This supports lower running costs and improves overall resilience during severe conditions.
Each section of roof was assigned its own controller operating with moisture and temperature sensing for fully automatic control. Heat Mat carried out a full commissioning visit, including sensor testing and a thermal imaging survey, to verify performance and sign off the project.
Within weeks of installation, significant snowfall hit the Crewe area before final commissioning and sign-off. The system activated automatically and melted snow in the protected zones, performing exactly as designed.
Heat Mat is part of the Heatcom group of companies, bringing decades of expertise across electric heating. With Heat Mat’s experience of the UK market and proven Scandinavian ice and snow melting methodologies, we can help you specify a reliable solution for complex commercial applications.
Explore the full project details, system approach and outcomes in the PDF case study.
Download the case study (PDF)
If you would like a design proposal for a roof, ramp, loading bay or other external surface, call our technical team on 01444 247020 or email tech@heatmat.co.uk. You can also visit iceandsnowsystems.co.uk to explore our full range of solutions.
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