The damage done by ice dams is pretty intuitive to diagnose with a few tools and some experience.
Fix roof damage from ice dam.
Here s a breakdown of the conditions that lead to the formation of ice dams.
We use steam to remove ice dams.
An ice dam is a ridge of ice that forms at the edge of a roof and prevents melting snow water from draining off the roof.
If you suspect an ice dam developed on your roof there are things you can do right away to minimize the damage.
First heat collects in the attic and warms the roof except at the eaves.
Life of an ice dam.
An ice dam can damage both your roof and the inside of your home.
An ice dam is a hump of ice that forms at the edge of a roof under certain wintertime conditions.
Next snow melts on the warm roof and then freezes on the cold eaves.
Hammers axes picks and torches are cheaper methods of ice dam removal.
Ice dams are a common sight in northern new england winters and home partners has dealt with quite a few.
First get rid of any built up snow using a roof rake used for single family homes with pitched roofs or shoveling it off on flat roofs or when there s a significant amount.
More here ice dam repairs.
If you have a severe windstorm or hailstorm be sure to check your roof for damage before the snow starts to fall.
If roof shingles have been blown off in a windstorm or damaged in a hail storm or other event then melting snow can leak into the roof and cause the same types of damage that an ice dam can cause.
The water that backs up behind the dam can leak into a home and cause damage to walls ceilings insulation and other areas.
Ice dam protection and prevention.
What causes ice dams.
Other types of snow damage.
Aptly named they act as a dam for the water created by melting snow and prevent it from draining into the gutters.
Any other method is tremendously risky to your roof.
For an ice dam to form there must be snow.
It will put gutters and downspouts at risk too.
Ice dams are not known to cause damage to anything other than the immediate roof area.
5 steps to handling ice dam damage.
An ice dam is a wall of ice that forms at the edge of the roof typically at the gutters or soffit.
As some of these problems such as snow sun and wind are unavoidable the surefire solution to preventing water damage due to ice damming is to include a waterproof membrane below your final roof covering at the bottom edge of the roof.
Life of an ice dam.
After one ice dam occurrence shingle seals that have been lifted by expanding ice may not reseal causing future failures earlier with smaller amounts of ice and water.
