causes some of the snow for 30 to melt as they pulled water flows down onto an unheated eave 480 the water refreeze and forms an ice dam 410 ice dam 410 traps dammed water 420 on the roof this can cause various problems including icicles 460 wet insulation 450 and damage to roof 470 furthermore in some cases icicles 460 can grow extremely large and may prevent a safety hazard fig5 is an exemplary embodiment of an installation of a closed gutter 200 and ice inhibitor 100 on a roof 470 in this exemplary embodiment closed gutter 200 and ice buildup inhibitor 100 may be installed to prevent ice damming such as that shown in fig4 in the exemplary embodiment support substrate 130 and closed gutter 200 are constructed of aluminum aluminum is known in the art to be a conductor of heat as heat strip 110 heats up ice buildup inhibitor 100 and closed gutter 200 also heat up because closed gutter 200 is maintained above the freezing point of water melted water does not refreeze upon making contact with closed gutter 200 instead the water stays in liquid form and drops harmlessly off the roof this in some cases ice buildup inhibitor is 100 may not be installed along the entire length of closed gutter 200 rather 10 foot segments of ice buildup inhibitor is 100 may be installed over critical areas such as over walkways or other high traffic areas in this.