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Preventing Ice Dams: How To Protect Your Home from Water Damage This Winter

Name: Exit Mold
Address: 1 Irwin Ct., Lynbrook, New York, 11563, United States
Telephone: (516) 512-7877

When the weather cools down and the snow arrives, many of us head to the safety of our homes to ride out the season. Our homes keep us safe, dry and cozy when the weather rages on outside, especially in our community!

While we can be grateful for the comfort of our houses, it is important to keep in mind the damage that winter weather can bestow upon your home. Heavy snow, sleet and ice can all be impactful, leaving serious damage behind as each storm blows through. One serious problem is the growth of ice dams. Other storm damage issues like roof cave-ins are obvious problems, but ice dams develop slowly over time, leaving you with serious unexpected damage.

Let’s talk about how to protect your home from water damage this winter by explaining how to prevent ice dams below.

What Is an Ice Dam?

Ice is a common sight in the winter months as snow and sleet fall from the sky during winter storms. Minor ice buildup is a normal part of a winter storm, but ice dams are an entirely different problem. Ice dams are ridges of ice that form at the edge of your roof, and they continually grow larger and thicker as the season progresses and snow or sleet falls.

Ice dams form when there is some sort of temperature discrepancy on your roof or if the precipitation that falls cannot flow down and away from your home. Over time, ice will continue to form on top of itself, and this strong formation can cause serious damage to your home as well as to the belongings in your attic.

What Causes Ice Dams?

Any home can suffer from an ice dam, but there are definitely a few factors that increase your risk.

1. Blocked Gutters and Downspouts

Water needs to be able to flow away from your home, and your gutter system is directly responsible for this process. As rain falls or snow melts, it should run down your roof and into your gutters, which will carry it to your downspouts. Your downspouts will then move the water far away from your home where it will run into a drainage area.

If that process is prevented by blocked gutters or downspouts, all that water will have nowhere to go. It will start to pool backward onto your roof, and it will eventually pour over the side of your roofline. As the temperature cools back down and that water turns to ice, it will form a thick layer on the edge of your roofline. This process will happen over and over again as the ice dam builds and freezes more water!

To encourage any precipitation to flow away from your home, keep your gutters clear and be sure your downspouts are installed and pointed away from your home. Ideally, this project should be tackled a few times a year, but especially before a big storm or after a really windy day. Leaves and other yard debris can cause a serious clog during a single storm event.

2. Temperature Problems in Your Attic

Another factor that could be causing your ice dams is your attic temperature. Snow needs temperatures above 32 degrees Fahrenheit to melt, so a warm roof will melt all that snow faster than it should.

Your attic space is designed to move warm air out of your home in a controlled manner, and it does this using your attic insulation and passive ventilation. If there is a problem with either of these processes, your attic air could be too hot or stagnant. A warm roof will melt the snow as soon as it falls, and that precipitation will then run down your roof until it meets the freezing cold edge of your roofline. When it comes into contact with that freezing edge, the water will freeze itself back into ice.

This melt/freeze process will continue to happen during every weather event, and that ice dam will continually grow thicker and will become more impactful as the season goes on.

How Ice Dams Damage Your Home

Ice can be very powerful, and the thicker the ice dam gets, the more damage it can do to your home. Water expands as it freezes, and that expansion will push under your shingles and into your roof line as the dam grows.

You can expect shingle and roof damage to occur during this process, but the home damage doesn’t stop there! The ice will grow into your attic space, and it will eventually thaw when it is exposed to the warmer air in your home.

The water will then leak and drip down your walls and onto your floors, leading to serious water damage problems in your attic as well as the rest of your home. You can even expect mold infestations to occur, as the water will have nowhere to go and can become stagnant.

Tips For Preventing Ice Dams

The good news is that ice dams are largely preventable by staying on top of your roof and attic maintenance. Clean your gutters regularly as mentioned above, but also invest in a good roof rake or shovel with a long handle. After every snowstorm, head outside and use that rake or shovel to pull snow off of your roof. Removing the problem before it has a chance to cause serious damage helps immensely!

Another tip is to address any insulation issues in your attic and determine if your ventilation is the culprit. If your insulation is old, worn down or looks damaged, it’s time to invest in a removal and replacement for optimal airflow. You should also seal up any gaps or areas where drafts are occurring.

If you are dealing with any sort of water or property damage due to ice dams, call in the help of a professional water damage restoration team! A highly trained team will be able to reverse the damage as well as help you develop strategies to prevent another dam from forming later in the season.

Don’t ignore water damage caused by ice dams! Call the team at Exit Mold right away at (516) 512-7877 so we can tackle your water damage and ice dam problem at the source.