ICE DAMS CAN CAUSE DAMAGE!

12/12/2017 (Permalink)

As winter approaches, we all want to be prepared. What we never seem to prepare for is ice damming. What is ice damming? An ice dam is formed when you have a lot of heat loss through your roof, causing snow to melt and run down and freeze as it gets close to the edge of the roof. This can be seen by blocks of ice on the edge of a roof, or large icicles that hang from the roof. Simple enough to explain, however they can cause big damage.

When you get an ice dam, the snow that continues to melt will get trapped by the dam and have no place to go, and can then back up under the shingles causing a leak. Many roof leaks in the late winter/early spring are from ice dams.

To prevent ice dams, and of course the latter water damage, the first step is to limit the amount of heat loss through your roof. Making sure you are insulated well enough is key. You will then also want to rid of the snow on the bottom of the roof before it turns to ice. If you already see ice dams forming, you can try and cut through the ice to make channels for water to flow off the roof, or on warmer days use warm tap water to assist in melting, however, this is a temporary fix. 

If you happen to suffer a water damage caused by ice dams, call SERVPRO of Lebanon/Hanover/Littleton at 603.298.6942

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