Is your property at risk of forming an ice dam? You must know certain household hazards if you’re a homeowner, property manager, or property developer. Otherwise, you may not be equipped to keep your property healthy and functioning properly. Most people have heard about ice dams and their problems, but few homeowners know about them.

Put simply, an ice dam accumulates ice in your gutter that prevents water from flowing off your roof. They may not sound like a huge deal, but ice dams can cause several significant issues for your home.

Here, we’ll examine how these ice dams are formed, why they’re so dangerous, and how to handle them effectively.

What We’ll Cover:

How Are Ice Dams Formed?

Generally, ice dams form in your gutters when significant snow melts during the day but refreezes when the temperature plummets overnight. Massachusetts is known for its harsh winters, which means that ice dams can become a frequent problem for homeowners in the area. There are several specific reasons why ice dams may form:

Heat in the Attic

If your attic isn’t properly insulated or ventilated, it will often be the warmest part of the house. And when the attic is hot, that heat is transferred to the roof, which can melt snow and create ideal conditions for ice dams.

Changing Temperatures

When the temperature fluctuates regularly, it can often result in ice dams forming. For example, if it’s regularly around 40 degrees during the day but below 30 overnight, it will make it easy for snow to melt and refreeze.

Direct Sunlight

Even if the temperature in your area consistently stays below freezing, snow on your roof can melt due to radiant sun heat. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to predict when this is going to happen.

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Why Ice Dams Are So Dangerous

Homeowners and property managers must understand that ice dams should not be taken lightly. These ice buildups in the gutter can cause significant property damage and hassle if ignored. When the water on your roof cannot drain, it accumulates, leading to major roof leaks. This can cause water damage inside your home, mold growth, peeling paint, and other problems.

Ice dams can also cause gutters to collapse due to the extra weight and shingles falling off the roof. As a result, you may have to pay for costly roofing services or even invest in a new roof entirely. And in some cases, the ice dams can even drop from the roof, creating a serious safety hazard for anyone below the ground. For these reasons, it’s important for homeowners, property developers, and property managers to take measures to prevent ice dams.

How to Prevent Ice Dams

The best way to deal with ice dams is to prevent them from forming in the first place. Fortunately, there are a few effective ways to achieve this:

Clear Snow From the Roof

It snows quite a bit in Massachusetts, and if you let that snow linger on your property’s roof, the likelihood of ice dams forming will increase significantly. Instead of allowing that snow to melt, you should make a point to clear your roof after every major snowfall. If you don’t feel comfortable clearing the snow off your roof yourself, residential roofing companies will gladly take care of it for you.

Insulate and Ventilate the Attic

Ice dams become much more likely to form when snow on your roof melts quickly. And if your attic is properly insulated and ventilated, the odds of this happening will decrease significantly. An attic with quality insulation and thorough ventilation won’t likely get hot, so that the roof won’t get hot.

Use Heated Cables

Another effective way to prevent ice dams from forming is to install heated cables on your property’s roof. If you get these cables set up before the snowstorms hit, the roof’s temperature should be equalized enough to prevent melted snow from refreezing. As a result, you won’t need to worry about any ice dams. You can always hire residential roofing professionals to install these cables properly.

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What To Do If Your Roof Has An Ice Dam

 If your property ends up with ice dams before you have the chance to take preventative measures, you’ll need to find a way to remove them safely. There are several ways you can go about this project:

Use a De-Icer

You can buy an effective calcium chloride de-icer at your local hardware store, and it should be effective for melting any ice on your roof and in your gutters.

Use a Snow Rake

If you don’t mind putting in a significant amount and effort, another option for removing ice dams is a snow rake. You can buy one of these specialized rakes from the hardware store and use it safely from the ground to remove ice and snow from your roof. This method won’t be quick, but it should eventually get the job done.

Hire Professional Roofers

In most cases, enlisting residential roofing services is the best option for removing ice dams from your property’s roof. Roofing contractors have the experience and equipment to eliminate ice dams effectively and safely, and they tend to get the job done quickly as well. Most residential roofing companies will provide free roofing estimates before being hired for a project.

Key Takeaways

Ice dams can cause serious problems for homeowners, property managers, and property developers, but these issues can typically be avoided. If you understand how ice dams are formed and how to prevent them, you should be able to keep your household safe from these hazards. But if you’re ever in doubt, you can always bring roofing professionals to assist you with ice dam prevention or installing a new roof.

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Altitude Roofing is family-owned and operated, with decades of experience and a passion for delivering honest, reliable roofing servicesWe worked to become one of Massachusetts’s most trusted residential roofing companies. That’s why we’re a Google Verified Business with an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.

As part of this commitment, we have achieved certifications from some of the industry’s most well-known manufacturers: Carlisle, Atlas, CertaTeedGAF, Firestone, and Genflex. You can count on our team of skilled professionals for exceptional service and quality craftsmanship. Contact us today for a free roofing estimate!

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