Ice Dams On Roof Eaves

More critically ice dams can cause meltwater to back up under the shingles where it can flow down and ruin ceiling and wall surfaces.

Ice dams on roof eaves.

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. Ice accumulates along the eaves forming a dam. How to prevent ice dams use heated cables. Gutters at the eaves can also trap snow and ice.

If ignored ice dams can cause serious damage to your roof. Meltwater from the warm roof backs up behind it flows under the shingles and into the house. Snow melts on the warm roof and then freezes on the cold eaves. 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. Ice dams are continuous chunks of ice that form along the margins of your roof. What damage do ice dams cause. 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.

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. The flatter the pitch of the roof the easier it is for an ice dam to get a grip. Birth of an ice dam. While frozen they re no more trouble than the icicles that hang down.

Heat collects in the attic and warms the roof except at the 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. Ice dams form when warm air from inside your home melts snow on the roof.

Severe ice dams can weigh many hundreds of pounds compromising the structure of the roof eaves. The icicles hanging from your eaves and gutters last year may be a faint memory now.