Ice Dams On Roof Eaves

Severe ice dams can weigh many hundreds of pounds compromising the structure of the roof eaves.

Ice dams on roof eaves.

Meltwater from the warm roof backs up behind it flows under the shingles and into the house. But winter is coming and along with it one of your home s worst enemies ice dams. Finally ice accumulates along the eaves forming a dam. Ice accumulates along the eaves forming a dam.

What damage do ice dams cause. Attached with clips along the roof s edge in a zigzag pattern heated. Snow melts on the warm roof and then freezes on the cold eaves. Ice dams form when warm air from inside your home melts snow on the roof.

When an ice dam gets big enough melted water backs up behind it and seeps underneath. Now that you know how ice dams form here s a quick and easy way to prevent them. How to prevent ice dams use heated cables. The flatter the pitch of the roof the easier it is for an ice dam to get a grip.

More critically ice dams can cause meltwater to back up under the shingles where it can flow down and ruin ceiling and wall surfaces. If snow and ice build up high enough in the gutter it can provide a foundation for an ice dam. Heat collects in the attic and warms the roof except at the eaves. If ignored ice dams can cause serious damage to your roof.

Ice dams are continuous chunks of ice that form along the margins of your roof. While frozen they re no more trouble than the icicles that hang down. An ice dam is an ice build up on the eaves of sloped roofs of heated buildings that results from melting snow under a snow pack reaching the eave and freezing there. Gutters at the eaves can also trap snow and ice.

When the meltwater reaches the colder eaves the part of the roof that extends beyond the walls the water refreezes and creates a buildup of ice along the edge of your roofline says this old house. Meltwater from the warm roof backs up behind it flows under the shingles and into the house.