Avoiding Ice Dams and Costly Damage
Snow on the roof of your home may help make a nice winter scene, but eventually, it could result in serious damage to your home and belongings. Over time, the accumulation of snow and ice on your roof can result in the creation of ice dams. Avoiding ice dams requires simple cleaning and maintenance after a snowfall, which can pay off by keeping your home dry and undamaged.
Ice dams are accumulations of ice that form at the edge of your roof near the guttering. They stop melted water from draining off the roof and into the gutters. When a large quantity of standing water builds up behind the ice dams, it has nowhere else to go but into your home. Enough water can leak in to harm insulation, electrical connections, paneling, flooring, belongings and interior structures.
Ice dams are created when there’s a temperature difference between the edge of your roof and the area above it. Snow and ice melt readily on the larger areas, but when the melted water flows down and hits the colder roof edge, it refreezes. Over time, this process creates a ridge of ice that forms an ice dam.
The following measures are useful for avoiding ice dams:
- Immediately remove snow from your roof after a snowfall. Sweep it away using a broom or brush, taking care not to damage roofing tiles or shingles. With no snow on the room, ice dams cannot form.
- Seal and insulate the ceilings in your home to prevent heat and warm, moist air from getting into your attic and creating warm spots on your roof. Seal any air leaks in the roof that could contribute to increasing temperatures.
- Insulate your roof and attic to keep indoor heat from warming the roof and causing snow to melt. Stopping this melting process significantly decreases the build-up of ice dams.
Contact us today for more information on avoiding ice dams and keeping your home safe from the water damage they can cause.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Wilmington, Delaware and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC & plumbing systems).
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