Picture a cozy home in wintertime, with gorgeous, glimmering icicles hanging from the roof. A winter wonderland, right?
Not so much. Those icicles could be a sign of Ice damming, which indicates of an unhealthy roof. Ice dams have a number of causes, but the result is the same: damage to your roof and interior walls. It’s best to deal with them as quickly as possible.
Signs Of An Ice Dam Problem
- A chunk of ice hanging off your roof. This is a fairly obvious indicator, as you can literally see the ice that has formed.
- Water stains on your ceiling. Perhaps somewhat less obvious, water-stained ceilings in the middle of winter trace back to a problem with your home’s roof.
- Mould forming on drywall. This generally forms where the roof meets the ceiling. Mould is never good.
How Ice Dams Cause Damage
Warm air from your attic reaches snow that had built up on your roof, which melts and runs down toward colder areas that can freeze it again. Over time, you’ll notice a buildup of ice, sometimes in several distinct mounds.
These mounds themselves aren’t the problem: it’s the continuous process of melting snow running towards the dam that damages your roof. As the water runs down, larger pools of water sit on your shingles, seeping into your attic, ceiling, or interior walls. Potential damages include stained ceilings, peeling paint and serious damage to drywall, wood, and other internal structures.
How Do You Prevent Ice Dams?
In short, we make sure your roof stays cold. Without hot spots to melt the snow, no water will run down your roof and re-freeze into chunks of ice. By using our industry experience and best practices, we can troubleshoot your roofing system and figure out what part of this system needs to be reworked to prevent ice dams. This might include:
- Closing attic bypasses
- Ensuring proper attic insulation levels
- Adding roof and soffit vents
Our team of experts may recommend other options to keep your roof healthy and avoid the dangers associated with ice dams.
