Icicles hanging from your roof eaves or gutters may look magical, especially when the sunlight glints off them, but the reality is that if you are seeing them, there is a good chance that ice damming is also happening, and that is anything but magical.
What is Ice Damming?
Ice damming is when ice builds up near the eaves of the roof. It creates a dam that pushes water and ice into places they don’t belong and where they can cause significant damage to your roof and your home.
What Causes Ice Damming?
Ice damming happens when heat escapes into your attic, causing ice and snow on your roof to melt and flow down to the eaves and gutters. If it gets held up at that point, it can easily refreeze and then act as a dam, forcing additional water back up under the shingles and into your home.
How to Prevent Ice Damming
The three main causes of ice damming are inadequate attic insulation, air sealing and lack of necessary attic ventilation. To prevent ice damming, it is a matter of correcting these three causes before they can create an ice damming situation.
The chances are that if you have an insulation issue, you have other problems besides ice damming to contend with, as well. You are paying too much for heating costs and allowing added wear and tear to shorten the life of your furnace. Of course, being uncomfortable isn’t a great outcome either.
If you would like to address insulation shortcomings in your home, give us a call at ARC Insulation. Our insulation services can help you prevent ice damming and offer other advantages that an energy-efficient home provides. We also provide insulation services for commercial properties. We have insulated over 20,000 homes since 1993 – let’s add your home to the list!
