Roof Ice Dam Problems

Ask this old house general contractor tom silva explains the best ways to keep your roof and gutters free from those dreaded ice dams.

Roof ice dam problems.

Homeowners know that unsightly ice dams are what often follows a major snowstorm and onset of low temperatures. The snow on a roof surface that is above freezing will melt. Ice dams appear quickly after a heavy snow because of the insulating properties. The next step is to bring up your level of the attic floor insulation to a level.

Ice dams are a common sight in northern new england winters and home partners has dealt with quite a few. An ice dam can damage both your roof and the inside of your home. Lay out additional attic. This only occurs when part of your roof warms to above 32 degrees f warm enough to melt the snow while the roof edge remains below freezing.

What causes ice dams. Sealing air leaks leading into the attic space. The resulting damage from ice dams to the roof and the rest of the house can easily cost thousands of dollars especially if the snow is allowed to remain on the affected roof for a long time. Solving an ice dam problem with exterior rigid foam eight inches of polyiso a second layer of roof sheathing and new shingles cost the same as a standing seam roof without any insulation by pauline guntlow march 6 2018 we stopped our ice dam problems by installing 8 inches of rigid foam insulation above the existing roof sheathing.

This causes the ice dam. Illustration by yuko shimizu hacking away at ice dams with a hammer chisel or shovel is bad for your. The dam grows as it is fed by the melting snow above it but it will limit itself to the portions of the roof that average below 32f. Fast fixes for ice dam removal blow in cold air.

An ice dam is a hump of ice that forms at the edge of a roof under certain wintertime conditions. Locating and properly insulating all the little pathways through. Chip off the ice. Ice dams and icicles form when the snow melts runs down your roof and refreezes near the edge.

The water runs along the roof and under the snow refreezing as it reaches your roof s cold overhang. Although climbing onto the roof is. As water flows down the roof it reaches the portion of the roof that is below 32f and freezes. This scenario is often the result of a warm attic.

Ice dams are caused by heat escaping through your roof during the winter. Use a roof rake after heavy snowfalls. Insulating your attic space. Use calcium chloride or an ice melt product.

See below for a shopp. It will put gutters and downspouts at risk too. If you have an ice dam forming you can apply calcium chloride or similar.