All conscientious homeowners should be aware of ice damming and how it works. It is really quite simple…An ice dam is ice that forms a ridge on the edge of a roof and therefore prevents melting snow (water) from draining off.
What causes Ice Dams?
There is a complex interaction among the amount of heat loss from a house, snow cover and outside temperatures that lead to ice dam formation. The snow on a roof surface that is above 32° F will melt. As water flows down the roof, it reaches the portion of the roof that is below 32° F and it freezes. Voila!—an ice dam.
What damages occur from Ice Dams?
The water that backs up behind the dam can leak into a home and cause damage to walls, ceilings, insulation, and other areas. Moisture in your home can lead to the growth of mold and mildew which we all know can cause a variety of health concerns.
As their money literally “flies out the roof”, homeowners are looking at their existing roofs and wondering what they need to do to protect themselves from such occurrences.
Short term solutions include using your ladder and a “roof rake” and/or broom to clear the snow from your roof. (Be careful, you can damage your shingles!) If water is already leaking in, you can make a channel in the ice dam to help drain away the water.
A long term solution could be increasing the insulation in your ceiling/roof. (Codes suggest R-Value 38)
The perfect solution would be a new roof system. Weather Tight did a lot of research to make sure we could offer our customers the very best, most protective, energy efficient, attractive roof system out there. The roofs we install are Owens Corning, a familiar household name. They offer high performance roofs that contain a well balanced ventilation system consisting of both under-eave soffit vents for intake and rooftop vents for exhaust. In addition, they have a rubberized ice and water shield and Hip & Ridge shingles which increase protection and durability. It takes more than just shingles to create a high performance roof.