Freezing weather, snow-covered roofs and warm air from inside your home are the conditions needed for icicles and ice dams to form. Icicles may look pretty to you, but they may actually be a sign of an ice dam along the edge of your roof line.
Dams can tear off gutters, loosen shingles, and cause water to back up and pour into your house. Once that happens, insulation can get wet, paint can peel and the structure of your home can become damp.
Keep reading to learn more about preventing ice dams on your roof.
Follow these steps to keep your roof and eaves the same temperature.
Attach heated cables
Before cold weather hits attach heated cables with clips along the roof’s edge in a zigzag pattern.
Ventilate eaves and ridge
A ridge vent paired with continuous soffit vents will circulate cold air under the entire roof.
Insulate the attic floor
Add extra insulation to the attic floor and the attic access doors to keep warm air inside the house and out of the attic.
Check the exhausts
Make sure all ducts from bathrooms, kitchens or other living areas exhaust to the outside, not the attic.
Remove snow immediately
After a heavy snowfall it’s best to remove snow immediately to reduce the risk of forming ice dams. Hire a roofing professional to do it if your roof is not easy to reach. Otherwise, use a broom or rake to remove snow.
