Although the sight of a house covered in icicles is picturesque and beautiful, it isn’t a healthy situation for your home. When a large accumulation of ice forms on the edge of your roof, this is known as ice damming. Nickerson Roofing is here to explain how ice damming forms and what you need to do to prevent them from happening on your roof this winter.
Why Do Ice Dams Happen?
As snowfall lands on your roof and sits for long periods of time, sometimes the roof above the attic gets warm enough to melt the underside of the snow. The water trickles down the roof until it reaches the roof’s edge where it the temperature is considerably colder and turns to ice. This will continue until there is a mound of ice that gets larger and larger, creating an ice dam.
Do Ice Dams Cause Roof Damage?
With this large pile of ice on the edge of your roof, any snow that is then melting backs up and sits on your roof. Often, the water then seeps below the shingles and trickles into the house. This can ruin sheetrock, ceilings, walls and paint in no time. If the ice dam happens to break off in this process, you will likely find damage to the roof and gutters as these will get torn off with it. This can also damage everything that it lands on and hits on the way down including any landscaping, windows and people if they are in its path.
What is the Best Way to Prevent Ice Dams?
When snow is falling, you can remove the snow from the roof with a snow rake or you can also sweep the snow off the roof with a broom. This will keep the snow from accumulating on your roof. It is best to hire a professional that knows what they are doing since anytime you are on the roof it can be dangerous. Having a wide metal water drip edge installed on your roof can also help safeguard your roof from ice dams.
How to Fix Ice Dams
The main cause of ice damming is the warmth of the roof. Unless that problem is fixed, ice dams will continue to form. Following are the steps that should be taken to truly fix the ice dam problem you are facing.
1. Properly seal the roof by sealing the areas where the warm air from the living space meets the roof sheathing.
2. Ensure the attic is vented so that any warm air that gets caught between the insulation and sheathing is able to move.
3. Properly insulate your living space to keep the heat out of the attic.
Rooftop Snow Removal & Prevention, Ice Dam Solutions & More in Truckee, Mystic, Tahoe City, Kings Beach & The North Lake Tahoe Basin of California
As winter is beginning, consider your roof and the chances you may have for ice damming. If you had this problem last year, you will want to fix this before it becomes a problem again this year. Nickerson Roofing offers ice damming prevention to safeguard your home from severe water damage. Call us today!
