How Ice Dams Damage Your Roof and Gutters
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7 Dec 2022
How Ice Dams Damage Your Roof and Gutters
There are a lot of maintenance issues that pop up in the winter, especially if you live in a cold area. One of the major problems roofing and gutter companies see is damage from ice dams. You might like the look of enormous icicles hanging from the edge of your roof, but they can cause some pretty serious damage to both your roof and your gutters.
Here are three things that contribute to the formation of ice dams.
Snow Buildup
Although ice storms do happen around here, they are not the primary cause of ice dams. That would be snow buildup. The snow that piles up on your roof melts from the bottom up. The melted snow runs down toward the eaves and your gutters and then freezes as it comes closer to the edge. The process repeats continuously and the layer of ice becomes thicker and thicker, forming an ice dam.Poor Attic Insulation
The snow melts from the lowest layer first because heat is escaping from your home through your attic. Poor attic insulation is often the reason why the layer of snow that is touching your roof warms enough to melt. Replacing or improving your attic insulation will go a long way to preventing ice dams from forming.Clogged Gutters
Another reason ice dams form is that the water runoff path is blocked. In other words, your gutters are clogged. If water sits in your gutters, it will freeze when the temperature drops and then more water will freeze on top of that. Before you know it, you have an ice dam forming in your gutters. If an ice dam becomes too big and heavy, it will break and fall off your roof. When that happens, it can cause all kinds of damage. If you have plants or landscaping in the area, the weight of the ice can crush it. Even worse, a falling ice dam can take part of your gutter system with it, damaging not just your gutters but your roof as well.
