Winter is not just about festive fervour and high spirits. It is much more than that and sometimes the scenario isn’t worth celebrating. Winter means snow, which in turn means that there will be some issues with the snow accumulation. Amongst those issues, there is one that involves your roof. Roof is an indispensible part of any house and accumulation of snow can be a big problem for this crucial part of your house.
Presence of snow on the roof leads to the formation of ice dams that are actually the worst case scenario for your roof. Snow can still be removed from the roof but ice dams need to be dealt in a completely different way.
Formation of Ice Dams:
- Accumulation of snow on the roof.
- The temperature outside dips below freezing point.
- Inside the attic, the temperature is above freezing which raises the temperature of the roof to above freezing.
- Because the roof is warm, therefore the snow present on top of it starts to melt.
- This snow water tries to run down from the roof.
- However, as soon as this water reaches the roof’s edge, it gets exposed to the freezing air immediately and refreezes as ice.
- As the amount of melted snow water keeps on increasing, the size of the ice dam also increases.
How Ice Dams Cause Roof Leaks?
As the ice dam grows in size, the speed with which the snow melts reduces drastically. Although the water is still being getting accumulated behind the dam, but its conversion speed into ice dam drops significantly. Thus, a significant portion of the shingles behind the ice dam gets submerged in water. Now since the roof shingles are designed to protect your home from rain and snow, but, most roofing materials are not apt for having a pond on top of them. Thus, the weight of the water leads to cracks in the shingles and ultimately leads to leaks.
How to Prevent Ice Dams?
- Ensure proper ventilation. Make sure that outside air is able to enter the attic so that the temperature in the attic comes to par with the outside temperature.
- For proper ventilation and insulation in cathedral ceilings, it is important to install baffles within each rafter bay before the installation of insulation. These baffles ease the air flow under the roof.
- If your attic stays warmer than the outside temperature normally, then there is no point heating that place. In fact by doing so, you are wasting your bucks on power bills while aiding the formation of ice dams.
How to Deal With Existing Ice Dams?
- If they have already started forming and no preventative measure has been adopted yet, it is best to call a professional roofing company. Take advice from them and let them handle your roof.
- You can also call for a snow removal service. Various roofing contractors provide this service. Refrain from doing this on your own as it is highly dangerous.
- You can also make use of some products that are available in the market. Certain chemicals can really help you deal with ice dams.
Ice dams on roofs is a common phenomenon. How you deal with this problem is what really makes the difference. We, at Roofone, are the most reliable roofing contractors Oakville with the right knowledge and skills to help you with almost any roofing problem including shingle repair or gutter repair Mississauga. Call us now to get more info on our services.