What Causes Ice Dams?

Heat from the house rises and warms the roof to above 32°. Snow on the warmer parts of your roof melts, turns to water and flows down the roof to the eave. When the water reaches a part of the roof that is below 32° (normally the eave), it will freeze. Eventually, this forms a ridge or shelf of ice called an Ice Dam. The Ice Dam builds over time and creates a wall allowing pooling water to accumulate above or behind the ice dam. This water build up eventually can move back up your roof and leak into your home.

How to prevent Ice Dams: The best way to prevent ice dams is with adequate attic insulation and roof ventilation, and to make sure air leaks in the attic are sealed

Here are the steps to remove ice dams:

• Remove snow from your roof using a roof rake.
• Fill a pantyhose with calcium chloride with and lay it perpendicularly across the ice dam.
• Chipping or chiseling away icicles and ice dams is another option, BUT it needs to be done carefully as this can damage your shingles, gutters, and underlayment.

Call a roofing professional to take care of the whole thing. This is likely the best and safest bet to get rid of an ice dam

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