Ice Dams

Snow has arrived in quantity and it looks like an old fashioned winter around here! That gets us thinking about a problem that many of our clients have had troubles with over the years - roof ice damming quickly followed by leaking roofs.

When ice damming occurs even an expertly installed newer roof will leak, let us explain why.

When snow accumulates on a roof it acts as an insulated thermal blanket. The attic can get very warm due to the natural warming effect caused by normal heat loss through the ceiling of the home. Snow can cover roof vents and the attic space warms further causing the snow closest to the roof to melt. The water runs down the roof, hits the overhangs (which are much colder since they are not warmed up like the attic is) and re-freezes. Eventually the ice that is created gets high enough to form a water dam - hence the term "ice damming". As the snow blanket continues to insulate the snow underneath and the heat from your home continues to melt it, the dams get higher and the water pools up deeper. The water pool backs up underneath the shingles and before you know it, you have a leak in your house.

Contrary to a popular belief, sloped roofs are not waterproof! They are built to shed water. If water stands on a sloped roof it absolutely will leak, as water will backup underneath the shingles. Swimming pools are built to hold water; sloped roofs are built to shed water. Every home in the area will at one time or another have issues with ice damming. It is just an inevitable part of owning a home in our climate.

The best defense against ice damming is to keep the lower part of your roof free of snow. The roof does not need to be 100% clear of snow. Our advice is to remove the snow 5 - 6 feet up the roof from the eave lines. It is acceptable to leave an inch or two of snow on the roof in this area. We want to remind everybody that a roof is a dangerous place to be walking on. You may want to consider hiring a professional to remove the snow. If you do need us to do this for you, do not hesitate to call us, we have already assisted several of our customers this snow season with their roof snow removal.

Be proactive, once you allow large ice dams to form on your roof it becomes a great deal harder to deal with the situation - not only will you be experiencing a leaking roof but you will also have thick hard ice that will need to be chopped up in order to allow the water to escape. We have often seen water standing a foot deep or more on roofs after ice has build up, at that point the battle is lost, you will have a leaking roof and quite often the result is a damaged home interior.

If you do need assistance with removing snow, ice dams or have encountered leaking and possible damages to your home, we would be happy to send someone out to take care of removal and/or repairs that may be needed.

Go here for a special offer for Storm Damage Repair from Creative Contracting or call us today at 215-661-8581.

Everyone at Creative Contracting wishes you all a happy, safe and dry winter season.