How to Manage Ice Dams
What causes ice dams to form?
Ice dams are caused by heat that rises from your living area to your roof, melting any snow that sits on top. This heat can also come from heating systems that are placed in the attic. Once this happens, the melted snow starts running down the roof until it reaches the edge, where it is cooler, so the water refreezes and the process continues. Soon, the water can't run down because there is a block of ice stopping the flow of water like a dam, hence the name. As a result, you now have water sitting up on your roof unable to go anywhere except down into your home.
How do you fix ice dams?
The most important step when it comes to preventing ice dams is ventilation and air sealing. Having proper ventilation will bring cold air into the attic and carry away any heat that is trapped in the attic. Air sealing is another stop that will block off any avenue from heat to escape into your attic. We've installed ridge and soffit vents or attic fans to give homes better ventilation, as well as blown-in cellulose as opposed to fiberglass insulation.
A soffit and ridge vent system brings cold air from the bottom of the roof and carries it straight to the top and out the ridge vent. This makes the rafters and wood underneath the roof cold and takes away the heat that would have melted the snow and caused the ice dam to form. Many homes have two vents on the gable ends of the attic, but these are often small or do not provide enough ventilation. Any air that is lost through the roof needs to be replaced, but it cannot be replaced with the warm air of the heating area down below. Icicles can and will still form in the winter on most homes, but ice dams specifically will no longer be a problem with proper insulation.
Installing extra Ice & Water barrier will also aid greatly in keeping the water that is sitting on your roof from coming inside. At Klaus Larsen, we install 6 feet, or 2 courses, of Ice & water barrier to ensure that your home is protected, where most companies only install 3 feet, or one course. The Ice & Water barrier sticks to the plywood decking on the roof and seals it from water trying to seep in. Properly installed shingles around the valleys, and keeping the gutters clear from debris can also aid in this process.
Another step you can take that is unique to the Klaus Larsen Way is a Super Roof. A Super Roof has ventilation built INTO it. It is not an excuse to not properly ventilate your attic, but it is a start. Plywood has little R-value, which is the resistance value for hot air passing through. So instead, we use SilverGlo rigid foam insulation and then put plywood and roof on top of that.
What NOT to do
People often think that heated gutter coils or hammering away at the ice dams will get rid of their problem, but they can do more harm than good. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, heating cables have been responsible for over 3,000 structural fires, 20 deaths, 150 injuries, and $27 million in property damages every year.
For all the risks that heating cables pose, they only melt a small portion of the ice directly surrounding the cables; they do not solve your ice dam problems. They also have to run all day, adding to utility costs. All you have to do is install proper attic ventilation to prevent excess heat from entering the attic in the first place. Reducing the amount of heat reaching the roof will reduce the ice dams.
Don't let your home fall victim to ice dams this winter. Call us today to schedule a FREE consultation for your roof and let one of our experts guide you to prevent ice dams from wreaking havoc on your home.
