Roof Ice Dam Problems

Ask this old house general contractor tom silva explains the best ways to keep your roof and gutters free from those dreaded ice dams.

Roof ice dam problems.

Insulating your attic space. Homeowners know that unsightly ice dams are what often follows a major snowstorm and onset of low temperatures. The resulting damage from ice dams to the roof and the rest of the house can easily cost thousands of dollars especially if the snow is allowed to remain on the affected roof for a long time. The next step is to bring up your level of the attic floor insulation to a level.

Use calcium chloride or an ice melt product. An ice dam can damage both your roof and the inside of your home. This only occurs when part of your roof warms to above 32 degrees f warm enough to melt the snow while the roof edge remains below freezing. Locating and properly insulating all the little pathways through.

Pull off snow with a long handled aluminum roof rake while you stand safely on the ground. Ice dams and icicles form when the snow melts runs down your roof and refreezes near the edge. Illustration by yuko shimizu hacking away at ice dams with a hammer chisel or shovel is bad for your. Sealing air leaks leading into the attic space.

The dam grows as it is fed by the melting snow above it but it will limit itself to the portions of the roof that average below 32f. Chip off the ice. As the heat escapes it melts snow and ice on your roof. If you have an ice dam forming you can apply calcium chloride or similar.

Ice dams are caused by heat escaping through your roof during the winter. Ice dams appear quickly after a heavy snow because of the insulating properties. Lay out additional attic. Use a roof rake after heavy snowfalls.

A rake with wheels. What causes ice dams. Ice dams are a common sight in northern new england winters and home partners has dealt with quite a few. As water flows down the roof it reaches the portion of the roof that is below 32f and freezes.

This causes the ice dam. The water runs along the roof and under the snow refreezing as it reaches your roof s cold overhang. Fast fixes for ice dam removal blow in cold air. An ice dam is a hump of ice that forms at the edge of a roof under certain wintertime conditions.

It will put gutters and downspouts at risk too. This scenario is often the result of a warm attic. The snow on a roof surface that is above freezing will melt.