Hicksville Roofing: Article About How To Handle Ice Dams
The border at the bottom edge of a roof used to reduce the amount of rain water falling into exterior walls of a building. Without these, falling water would have a much greater chance of entering a structure through the intersection of the roof and wall.
Question answered by our Hicksville roofer: Would salt be an inexpensive solution to removal and prevention of ice dams?Salt is a messy solution that can actually cause more damage from its corrosive effect on metals, such as gutters. As the ice melts, the downpour of salt can also move on to damage siding and kill the plants surrounding the home. Household remedies may sound great in theory, however, salt can be a dangerous compound to experiment with.
The beautiful blankets of snow that cover homes in the winter can be a threat to the inside of the home if ice dams are allowed to form. Prevention of the conditions that allow ice dams to form is a better solution that trying to get rid of them later. Surprisingly, internal home improvements are the best starting place to protecting a leak coming in through the roof. Prolonged periods of extreme cold make it impossible to completely guarantee that they will not form, but protecting your home keeps a little threat from becoming an expensive disaster.
Ice dams are a side effect of nature that Hicksville roofing contractors and homeowners face each year. An attic that is too warm can melt snow that re-freezes into ice along the freezing cold eaves. As heat continues to melt snow, a puddle forms where the blockage at the edge prevents it from draining off of the roof normally. Over time the water can seep into any crack or crevice it finds to create a way for water to leak into the home. If this happens in the middle of the night, you could wake up to insulation, the ceiling, and furniture damaged from water.
Reducing the temperature inside the attic is as simple as adding more insulation to the floor. This makes the home maintain a steady temperature.
Have a question regarding roof inspections or TPO roofing? Ask a roofer at Long Island Roofing of Hicksville NY.
Heat that travels to the attic is essentially wasted on empty, unoccupied space. If the attic is cool, the roof stays cool so that snow can melt naturally as it should.
If an extra layer of insulation does not take care of the issue with heat buildup, the next step is to check out the ventilation. Louvered windows may need a size upgrade if they do not allow enough cool air to circulate through the attic. Soffit vents work very similarly to create more outdoor airflow through the attic. Each roof is a little different, requiring the skill of a contractor to decide which ventilation is best for preventing ice dams from forming.
The best defense against ice dams that find their way onto your roof is to ensure the best seal possible. Adequate underlayment should be cover the entire roof without skimping to save on construction cost. The top layer of roofing material should overlap properly to give multiple layers of protection if a puddle does happen to form from an ice dam. If shingles are in poor condition, have them replaced or repaired before the cold weather has a chance to roll in for the season. Finding a reason to postpone roofing maintenance can lead to a more severe and costly repair down the road.
