Although the long icicles hanging from your roof and gutters can be a beautiful winter sight, it can cause significant damage to your roof. Icicles are generally one of the first warning signs of possible ice dams on your roof. If ice dams are left untreated, it can lead to hundreds, or thousands, of dollars in repair.
What is an Ice Dam?
An ice dam is a wall of ice that develops at the edge of the roof, typically at the gutters or eaves. When the ice dam forms, excess water is then backed up behind the ice dam, creating a pool of water. This pool of water can leak into your home and cause damage to your walls, ceilings, insulation, and other regions.
What causes Ice Dams?
Ice dams typically start to form because of heavy snowfall, improper ventilation in the attic, and inefficient insulation. Without enough insulation, warm air leaks into the attic through chimneys, attic hatches, recessed lights, and more. When heat moves through these areas and reaches the roof, it will start to melt the snow.
Getting rid of that Ice Dam
Properly eliminating an ice dam can be very dangerous for any unskilled homeowner. Never walk on a snow covered roof. The best way to remove an ice dam is to call professionals who have the right equipment and roofing knowledge to get the job done.
Removing the snow and ice that has accumulated on top of the roof is the best way to get rid of the main materials needed in order for ice dams to form. Using a roof rake to remove the snow by carefully pulling it down the slope of the roof line is something a homeowner can do while safely on the ground. However, a roof rake can only reach so far, leaving piles of snow at the top of your roof to melt in the near future.
Cleaning your gutters out can help stop ice dams from forming as fast but they can still happen if the conditions are right. Often times, your gutters will be filled with frozen debris. Even if you don’t have a soffit for the water to freeze in, the melted water will typically refreeze when flowing into the gutters.
The only way to safely remove ice, snow and the ice dam is with steam. At Eastside Exteriors, we use the right tools, shovels and a commercial grade low pressure steamer to dissolve the ice.
If you need an ice dam removed, don’t risk getting hurt, call the professionals at Eastside Exteriors today at 612-619-5128!
