WHAT ARE ICE DAMS AND WHAT SHOULD I DO?

Let’s face it, when you live in Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin, or Montana and deal with big snow storms, most homes will experience ice dams. Savvy homeowners realize this issue and take the necessary steps to remove ice dams.

Click here for a quick video from the experts at This Old House.

Regardless of whether your roof is 30 years old or brand new, ice dams are simply the result of normal heat loss from your home. Heat escaping through the roof melts the snow on the upper sections of the roof. As the water flows downward, it reaches the eaves—the lowest section of the roof that extends beyond the building envelope—where temperatures are much colder. Because the eaves are typically not insulated, the water refreezes and gradually builds up into an ice dam. These “dams” trap water behind them, which can back up beneath shingles and eventually find its way into your home.

HOW DO I PREVENT ICE DAMS?

Ice dams are ultimately a preventative maintenance issue. While roofs are designed to hold snow, ice dams can still form unless the roof is perfectly insulated and specifically designed to prevent them.

The best way to prevent ice dams is to keep the eave area of your roof—typically the first 4 to 6 feet—free of snow. This allows melting snow to drain safely off the roof instead of refreezing at the edge.

Special “snow rakes” are made so a person can safely pull down any snow accumulation while on the ground. Click here for an example.

If an ice dam has already formed, use salt to help melt a channel through the ice so water can drain properly. (See the video at the top of this post for more details.)

Warning: Never chip away at an ice dam with a hammer or try to pry it off the roof. Doing so can damage your shingles and may even harm the roof’s underlying structure.

WHO CAN HELP ME?

In the craziness of life’s schedule, or perhaps with a physical limitation, this sounds like a daunting task to most people. The bottom line is it needs to happen sooner than later. Rji offers the following services for maintaining your roof.

Snow removal: We can do the raking for you and shovel it away from the entry. This process takes an hour or more depending on size.

Ice Dam Removal: We offer a steam removal process to safely remove larger ice dams that are creating damage to the structure.

Please call us today for current pricing in your area.

CONTACT RJI PRO TODAY!