Ever see large icicles hanging down at your eavestroughs or ice on your home's exterior siding? Maybe you've noticed heating cables installed on your roof by the previous owner or you're experiencing a water leak indoors where the ceiling & wall meet? These are signs of ice damming & it can cause significant damage to your home.
What is ice damming? It's the formation of ice along the roof edge, which can cause water to back up under your shingles & possibly even into your home. The accumulated ice can also damage your eavestroughs & be a potential safety hazard for anyone standing below.
What causes it? The heat from your living area escaping into your attic causes snow on your roof to melt. When the melted snow trickles down the shingles & reaches the cold area near the eaves, it turns into ice. As snow continues to melt & flow down your roof, the ice at the eaves blocks it's path & then the water is forced to back up under your roof shingles.
What are the solutions? Increasing insulation and/or ventilation in the attic. Insulating openings into the attic like at hatches, pot lights, exhaust fans, plumbing stacks & chimneys. Insulating any heating ducts in your attic. Some homeowners looking for a quick & easy solution might think about installing heating cables on the roof however they're typically not very effective. They might offer some help if they're turned on before any snow starts to accumulate on the roof.
You may be tempted to pick at the ice at your roof edge but this will probably cause damage to your shingles & eaves & might make water leakage into your home more likely. We recommend that if you notice any signs of ice damming, that you contact a professional to determine what improvements are required in your particular case. As with any renovation work, a knowledgeable professional can perform the work correctly & safely, like making sure that your pot lights can be covered by insulation without causing a fire hazard.
If you have any further questions about this topic, feel free to contact us!
Read our other blog posts to learn about Pouring Concrete Foundations in Cold Weather & Preparing Your Home for Winter.