Press Release Summary = You may have noticed long icicles hanging from your gutters
and not realize the significance of the damage that may be occurring behind them.
Press Release Body =
An ice dam is a wall of ice that forms at the edge of the roof, usually at the
gutters or soffit. When it forms the water then backs up behind the ice dam and
creates a pool of water. This pool of water can leak into your home and cause damage
to walls, ceilings, insulation, and other areas
Ice dams are usually caused by heavy snowfall and improper ventilation in the attic.
This causes warmer areas in your attic then the snow begins to melt, even when the
outside temperature is well below freezing. When the accumulated snow on your roof
starts melting it runs down your roof underneath the snow until it reaches a
"colder" section like the soffit's, valleys or in gutters then it begins to freeze
again, this process of thawing and refreezing is what causes an ice dam.
Cleaning the gutters on your home can help prevent ice dams from occurring as
quickly but they can still occur if the conditions are right. The gutters will be
just as cold as it is outside and in some cases, full of frozen debris. So even if
you don't have a soffit for the water to refreeze in, the melted water will most
likely refreeze when flowing into the gutters.
Properly removing an ice dam can be quite dangerous if you don't know how. In the
past some members of the media suggested hiring a contractor to pull the gutters off
your home so the whole ice dam process would be solved. This suggestion was well
intended but wrong. Contractors that started removing gutters caused significant
damage to roofing and guttering systems, then when the snow melted it dropped next
to the homes foundation and caused the basements to flood.
Properly ventilating and insulating the attic is usually the best way to prevent ice
dams. The usual recommendation for proper ventilation is 1 square foot of vent for
every 150 feet of attic floor area but each climate region may have it's own
recommendations so I would suggest contacting a licensed local insulation company
near you. If you have small louvered vents at either end of the attic known as gable
vents you can either replace them with larger vents, or install an electric vent fan
over the inside of them. These special fans usually work on a thermostat and will
pull outside air into the attic to keep the temperature inside consistent.
For more information on ice dams and other articles we have written, please see our
website at http://www.henryshousework.com
Our main commercial and residential services include:
Gutter Cleaning, Gutter Repairs, Gutter Installation, and Gutter Guard Systems.
Deck Cleaning and Restoration, Deck Cleaning and Sealing.
Complete power washing services including roofs, siding And more!
2025
