Q: What problems can a roof deicing system help fix? A: Ice dams can occur along the roof edge for a number of reasons such as ponding at the base of valleys on steep roofs, ponding on flat roofs, undersized downspouts, poor attic insulation, etc. Heated cable can be installed on the roof, inside of the gutters, and inside of downspout to maintain a heated drain path for melt water to drain. If the downspout empties to a pedestrian area you should extend the heated cable out to an external drain to prevent the melt water from pooling and refreezing.