Ganser Company

Ice dams don’t look it, but they’re very destructive. They form at the edges of a roof, trapping more snow and ice. Roofing contractors get called often for a roof repair due to the formation of ice dams, though ice damming is preventable.

How Do Ice Dams Form?

Ice dams typically form because of heat, ironic as that might sound. If your attic has poor ventilation, heat gets trapped in it. Heat naturally rises through a process called convection. When it doesn’t have a way to get out of your roof, it stays there and leads to a superheated attic.

Trapped heat can stay in your attic for a long time, even through winter. When it snows, the snow that falls on the top part of your roof, which is the hottest part, melts more quickly than the snow at the edges, the cold part of your roof.

The melted snow flows down to the edges and refreezes there, forming ice dams. More snow will melt at the top of your roof. That water has nowhere to go as it is trapped by the ice dam, so it backs up. In many cases, the water penetrates the underside of the shingles, saturating your roof from beneath.

Another reason behind ice dam formation is the presence of debris in your gutters. The debris makes it harder and slower for water to drain. When it rains, debris like leaves, branches, pine needles and others can clog up the gutters and downspouts, leading to overflowing gutters. Pooling water can also freeze in your gutters and contribute to ice damming. Deal with your gutters during your next exteriors remodeling project.

What Happens When Ice Dams Form?

The trapped water results in moisture under the shingles. It may also result in moisture in the attic.

Water is bad news for your roofing system and any other component of your home. It can lead to mold and mildew, which can compromise your family’s health. It can also lead to wood rot, which will definitely necessitate roof repair.

If your roof is weakened enough by the trapped water, it will begin to leak, possibly damaging your ceiling and other components, including your electrical outlets and your roof and siding insulation. Insects like termites and cockroaches are known to take advantage of dampness and weakened structures.

All of these problems are because of ice dam formation on your roof.

How Ice Dams Are Removed

Raking: Most homeowners would go up on their roof and rake snow off it before ice dams could form. It’s also possible to hire someone to do it for you. This is bothersome as you have to do it several times in the freezing cold, and it’s possibly dangerous, just like any job that requires you to climb a ladder. Slippery ice and snow can make the job even riskier. If you’re not careful, you might also damage your shingles with a rake.

Deicing: If ice dams have already formed on your roof, you can remove them by using a calcium chloride deicer. However, if the chemical lands on your garden plants, those plants will die. You might think common rock salt would be effective, but salt will cause any metal it touches to rust. Prolonged exposure to salt also kills plants.

There are safer and more permanent ways to deal with ice dam formation. Instead of risking damage to your roof with snow and ice removal methods, prevent ice dams in the first place.

Cooling down the attic: You can do this in two ways:

• Blow cold air through the attic. This is a good solution to a superheated attic, which is notorious for causing ice dam formation. Install fans in the attic to blow cold air particularly in the direction of the top of the roof, where the heat usually stays and causes snow to melt. When the snow doesn’t melt prematurely, ice dams won’t form.
• Improve your attic’s ventilation. If you’re planning an exteriors remodeling project, consider improving your roofing system’s ventilation. An attic with proper ventilation will not overheat, so when winter comes, you don’t have to worry about ice dams forming due to excessive heat in your attic. You might want to consider adding attic insulation as well. Blown-in insulation is typically the most effective, so try it if you don’t use your attic as an extra room.

Cleaning your gutters: Sometimes, even when an attic is not too hot, ice dams still form because the gutters are problematic. This is usually the effect of clogging brought about by debris accumulation. Those leaves, branches, pine needles and the occasional animal nests that land on your roof usually end up in your gutters when it rains. If the debris flows through the gutters and downspouts, you don’t have to worry about anything, but if they pile up and cause a clog, water will stay in your gutters.

Clogged gutters and downspouts overflow, and, when the temperature drops, that water turns to ice. This is the beginning of ice dam formation.

Clean your roof and gutters regularly. Do it as part of your preparations for the winter season. This will prevent clogging and ice dam formation. You can hire professional gutter cleaners. Your roof replacement contractor might offer the service.

Install heated cables: Heated cables in your gutters melt ice and prevent ice dams. These are effective against ice damming problems in winter. However, if you don’t clean your gutters and downspouts, they can still get clogged with debris and overflow.

Install gutter protection: This is one of the most effective ways to prevent ice damming. Gutter protection systems prevent leaves, pine needles, branches and other debris from entering your gutters. They also prevent birds and other animals from building nests and turning your gutters into their home.

By allowing only water through, gutter protection systems or gutter caps keep your gutters clog-free. They are not perfect, so you still have to clean your gutters, but now you might be able to delay cleaning by several years. Match your gutter protection system with heated gutter cables for additional protection against ice damming.

We can install a gutter protection system on your gutters. Get in touch with Ganser Company now. Call us today at (608) 222-1243, or fill out our form here.