/Ice on your roof can be prevented, but once present, can cause issues for your roof.
You See a Sheet of Ice on Your Roof and Gutters
With the winter temperatures reaching brutal lows and the propensity for winter precipitation high, Northeast Marylanders have their hands full in the winter months. Add to that the tendency for Maryland temperatures to fluctuate from 25 degrees one day to 50 degrees the next, and the risk of ice dams forming on your roof can be high. So what exactly are ice dams, how do they form, what can you do to prevent them, and what solutions do you have if the ice dams have already formed? These questions will be addressed in this article.
What Is an Ice Dam?
An ice dam is a ridge or ledge of ice that forms at the edge of your roof and gutters, often near the eaves, that prevents water from draining properly off of your roof. It will appear as a large sheet of ice near the top or peak of your roof and near the bottom of your roof, where your gutters are located, it will appear as a ridge or block of ice.
What Causes Ice Dams to Form?
In short, ice dams are caused by differentials between the temperatures inside your home and temperatures outside of your home. The roof of your home tends to be warmer near the peak than at the edge, or eave, of your home due to receiving more direct sunlight and because near the peak, there is more heat coming from the interior of your house. After all, heat rises to the highest reachable point. In this case, the highest reachable point would be the peak of your roof. When the extra heat near the peak melts the bottom layer of snow at the top of the roof, the melted water runs down to the eave of the roof along the roof shingles. Since the temperature is lower near the eave of the roof, the snow does not melt there and the melted snow water has nowhere to go to drain off of the roof. The melted snow water then refreezes near the eaves of the roof and forms an ice dam. While this is the main cause of ice damming, drastic fluctuations in the outside temperatures can produce the same effect. If there is snow on your roof on a morning with a 25 degree temperature, the temperature goes up to 40 degrees by mid afternoon, then drops back down to 25 degrees at night, an ice dam can form from the fluctuating temperatures. However, it is a less likely cause than the differing temperatures between the inside and outside of your home.
Are Ice Dams Bad for My Roof?
Ice dams can absolutely cause damage to your roof and consequently, to the interior of your home. When the melted snow water cannot properly drain off of your roof and backs up due to an ice dam, it has to go somewhere. Unfortunately, the only place for it to go is under your shingles, under your roof deck protection/underlayment and starter shingles, as well as any leak barrier that was installed. As the water travels under the layers of your roof, potentially freezing and unfreezing with fluctuating temperatures, it will cause damage to all of the mentioned layers of your roof. The weight of the ice formed on your gutters as a part of the ice dam can cause the gutter hangers to fail and the gutters to fall off of your home. If the water is able to penetrate all of the layers of protection of your roof, it will leak into your home causing obvious cosmetic damage, but potentially hazardous unseen damage. If water is entering the home slowly, over time the building materials of your home can grow mold which can be hazardous to your and your family’s health. Not only are ice dams bad for your roof itself, they can cause issues inside of your home which can even affect your health. So what can you do to resolve your ice damming issue?
The Best Weapon Is Prevention
The best way to deal with ice dams is before they are formed. Prevention is key to ensuring your roof stays in tip top shape through the winter months. To stop ice dams before they start, make sure that your attic (or the space directly below the roof) is properly insulated and ventilated. We here at Mid Atlantic Gutters and Roofing recommend having 10-14” of R-38 insulation in your attic. This will keep the warm air inside of your house and the cold air out, decreasing the likelihood that the uneven melting that causes ice damming will occur. You also want to make sure that your attic area is well ventilated. This will allow for the warmer air from inside of your house to be drawn outside of your house further preventing the uneven snow melting that causes ice dams to form. It is also important to make sure that you have high quality shingles and roofing materials installed on your roof. We are Shingle Master Certified by CertainTeed, a leading provider of high quality shingles and roofing materials and stand by their products. CertainTeed has been in business since 1904 and is North America’s leading brand of exterior building products and is headquartered in right next door in Pennsylvania.
Already Spotted an Ice Dam? Resolution is Still Possible!
Prevention and high quality roofing materials can thwart the potential damage of an ice damming situation, but what if it’s too late and an ice dam has already formed? This is where it gets a little tricky. The first thing you need to do is clear away all snow and ice from the roof and eaves. To remove snow, you can use something called a roof rake. It is a long handled instrument that allows you to drag the snow off of your roof from the ground or a low ladder. Removing the ice can be a bit more tricky. You do not want to chip the ice away because you can cause additional damage to your shingles with the force needed to chip away at the ice. Instead, you will need to melt the ice. You can do this by pouring hot water over the ice or by using a heat gun to melt the ice. If getting onto a ladder is not something you are comfortable with, you should call a roofing professional to ensure your safety. Once you have the ice melted away, you should definitely contact a roofing professional to assess the integrity of your roof and ensure that there was no damage incurred because of the ice dam. If you hold a Homeowners Insurance policy, you should reach out to insurance agency as well because storm damage to your roof is often covered. At Mid Atlantic Gutters and Roofing, we offer free estimates and have decades of experience working with insurance companies for roof damage claims.
Ice Dams Don’t Have to Be a Disaster
Ice damming can be a pretty serious issue for your home’s roof, but it isn’t the end of the world. Knowing what ice dams are and how they are formed is half of the battle. Once you know more, you can do more. We’ve gone over some simple things that you can do to prevent the forming of ice dams as well as what you can do to remedy them if they’ve already formed. You should now have enough information in your arsenal to tackle this winter weather issue and protect both your home and your peace of mind.