Ice Damm Roof

Ice dams and icicles form when the snow melts runs down your roof and refreezes near the edge.

Ice damm roof.

The meltwater then runs down toward the colder eave overhang where it freezes. Snow starts to melt in certain areas of the roof which are warmer than others due to heat loss from the attic. They can also cause considerable roof leaks that lead to interior damage. The water that backs up behind the dam can leak into a home and cause damage to walls ceilings insulation and other areas.

Meltwater from the warm roof backs up behind it flows under the shingles and into the house. Ice dams form when the snow melts on an upper warmer part of a roof. This only occurs when part of your roof warms to above 32 degrees f warm enough to melt the snow while the roof edge remains below freezing. Ice dams are those beautiful but deadly mounds of ice and icicles that you see along the edge of some roofs.

We say they are deadly because sheets of ice start to break loose as the weather gets a little warmer stabbing or crushing anything in its path. To take a more pro active approach in preventing ice dams you can install ice belt metal panels which are installed along the eaves to block water. 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. Ice belt metal panels many roofs are made of shingles which work well to remove water until it starts to travel upward.

Freezing at the eave impedes the drainage of meltwater which adds to the ice dam and causes backup of the meltwater which may cause water leakage into the roof and consequent damage to the building and its contents if the water leaks through the roof. Once this thick ice forms it prevents melting snow from running off the roof. How to prevent ice dams use heated cables. As the ice accumulates it forms a blockage that prevents the snowmelt from flowing off the roof.

This scenario is often the result of a warm attic. Finally ice accumulates along the eaves forming a dam. 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.