"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. The water that backs up behind the dam can leak into a home causing damage to walls, ceilings, and insulation."
Exhibit A:
Exhibit B:
So, we too discovered what an ice dam was when we saw water dripping in our house near the window.
What the ice dam taught us:
*It's good to have Alaskan neighbors who know about ice dams (Thanks Darren!)
*Apparently it's a very common thing, especially during weird freeze/thaw winters like we've had this year
*The most important thing to do is get the snow off the roof ASAP. Ross was thumping around on the roof most of Sunday, trying to shovel all the snow off. Roma thought Santa landed on the roof, ie she was not a fan.
*Heat trace is only marginally useful because it doesn't stay close enough to the ice to melt it
*If you have water dripping in your house, it's hard to know the entry point when you don't have attic access, but it's safe to assume some of the insulation is wet which means you should drop your thermostat significantly until it dries. (I was wearing my coat and hat in the house.)
Now you know all about ice dams. Remember icicles are a bad sign. Store away this memory until that time in the future when you hear a "drip, drip, drip"...
Oh my! Hope that was the it for the year! I'm sure Rossy LOVED being on the roof all day:/
ReplyDeleteIce dams can be pretty frustrating problems, almost as frustrating as frozen pipes. It's hard to handle them, since you can never tell how much snow there would be. The best thing to do is watch out and take extra care of the roof and gutters during the winter season.
ReplyDeleteIce dams and frozen pipes are just a few winter house problems – both are resolvable by one solution: insulation. Insulating your attic and pipes will save you from the distress of ice dams in the roof and water that doesn't come due to freezing pipes. For ice dam on the roof case, it would be helpful to avoid the damage it could cause if the roofing has underlay that's at least 3 ft long.
ReplyDeleteAllyson Ripple @ DnMRoofing.net
So you had to learn about ice dams the hard way. For people out there who are thinking about moving somewhere colder, it's best if you leanr about these winter hassles before heading there. Also, it's best if you keep in touch with your trusted roofing contractors. Joann @ AJCRoofing.com
ReplyDelete