This is the season for Ice Dams. What is an ice dam, you ask?Is it bad? How do I prevent it?

 

Well, have you ever seen a home, in the winter time with most of the snow melted, except a line of snow/ice along the bottom of the roof? This ice build up can cause melting snow to run up under the shingles and into your home, so yes it’s bad.

What causes it? Your attic should be insulated to stay cold in the winter. So the floor of your attic needs a good amount of insulation on it. Most folks think its to keep the heat in your living space, but its equally important to keep the attic cold.

If your attic gets warm, the roof will get warm, and melt the snow, which runs down the roof, until it gets to the eave. The part of the roof at the bottom isn’t over your warm living area and the heat rises up, so the edge of your roof stays cold freezing the water at the edge. This can build up and cause the ice dam effect.

How do you fix it? Insulate your attic properly. That simple. If the whole roof stays cold, the snow will only melt when the lower part is also warm enough for the water to leave the roof, not freezing up at the bottom.