Something that all homeowners should do their best to avoid in the winter months is ice dams. This is a problem for your roof when snow melts and then freezes once it reaches the roof line. It often looks like beautiful icicles hanging from your roof, but it can cause significant damage to your roof if you don’t get it fixed. The best way to avoid damaging your roof with ice dams is to avoid them in the first place. Nickerson Roofing is here to talk about how they form so that you can keep them from forming at all.
Why Ice Dams Form on a Roof
Ice dams are something that all homeowners should try to avoid. They can be beautiful but cause serious trouble for your roof, which can put your home in a place where water damage can occur. Here are some of the reasons why ice dams form:
– Heat in Attic: By far, the most common reasons for ice dam formation is heat in the attic. When the attic is hot, the roof is hot. This can cause the snow on the roof to melt and when it reaches the edge of the roof where the temperature is significantly colder, it freezes again. This can be avoided by having enough insulation in the attic as well as enough ventilation in place for your roof. If you have a hot attic, it is time to call in the pros to help you fix that.
– Fluctuating Temps: It is common for the weather to rise during the day and then fall again in the night. When the temperature rises a few degrees during daylight hours, the snow starts to melt off the roof. At night, that water will freeze again, and it will freeze at the edge of your roof.
– The Sun: The sun can cause radiant heat on your roof that will start to cause the snow to melt as well. This isn’t something that you can control too much, but your best bet at not allowing the ice to form on your roof line is to remove as much snow from your roof as possible.
– Ideal Temps: There is an ideal temp of about 30-32 degrees where the snow shouldn’t be melting. However, it doesn’t take much to get that snow melting. You only need 1 degree over 32 and you will start to see snow melt on your roof. You can keep your thermostat turned down a little bit to help this, and make sure that there is as little snow on your roof as possible to avoid the problem.
Roof Repair, Replacement & More in Truckee, Mystic, Tahoe City, Kings Beach & The North Lake Tahoe Basin of California
If you need snow removed from your roof, the safest way to do it is with the help of Nickerson Roofing. We can also put measures in place that will help keep ice dams from forming on your roof as well. Contact us for the best solutions to any ice dam concerns you might have for your roof. Call us today!
