If you have noticed the formation of icicles hanging from the gutters of your house, you may be concluding that there is a problem with your gutters. Icicles hanging from your roofline is a sign that ice dams have formed in your roofing. However, the root of the problem may not be in the gutters or roofing at all. The root of the problem may actually be due to heat in your attic, and it caused your roofing to form an ice dam, which can easily damage your roofing.
As temperatures warm up and ice thaws, you may notice water spots on the ceilings of your upper floor due to the damage to the roofing. Therefore, it's important to have your roofing inspected and repaired, especially before temperatures increase. Here's why it happens and what you can do.
Heat in Your Attic
As everyone knows, heat rises. Unless you have what is called "cold roofing," the temperature in your attic is likely warm enough to cause the snow to melt on most of your roofing. The problem with this is that the parts of the roofing that hang over the attic, the eaves, do not have this warmth underneath to melt the snow. The melted snow coming from the upper parts of the roofing tends to refreeze as it cascades down over eaves and your gutters, thus forming icicles.
Damage to Your Roofing
When water forms ice, it expands. Because of this, water that has gotten underneath shingles can cause the shingles to lift up as well as the nails that keep the shingles in place. This creates more space for water to infiltrate through and eventually leak through the roofing materials and into your home. At some point in the future, depending on the amount of damage to the roofing, you will notice water spots on the ceilings in your upper floor. Of course, you may not notice these water spots until after the temperatures have increased and the weather has changed from snow and ice to rain.
Remove Ice Dams
It's a good idea to remove the ice dams during the winter before the temperatures increase and cause the ice to melt. A roofing company can remove the dam using high-pressure steam or by applying calcium chloride or other product formulated to melt ice. However, if there is already damage to the roofing materials, this may cause the melted ice to infiltrate through the cracks that have formed in the roofing. The best thing to do is to have a roofing company inspect the roofing and determine the appropriate method of ice dam removal.
Repair Your Roofing
If your roofing is damaged from ice dams, it's a good idea to repair the roofing before the typical torrential downpours of the warmer spring months start or you could be faced with a hefty water damage restoration bill in addition to the costs of roof repair. In the meantime, while you wait for Old Man Winter to go away until next year, hire a roofing company to inspect the roofing and place tarps to mitigate further damage until they can safely make the repairs to the roofing.
Prevention Tips for the Future
It's important to consider prevention tips now when your roofing contractor is repairing your roofing. One of the best ways to prevent ice dam formations from causing water infiltration in the future is by having a water-repellent roof membrane installed when then roofing is repaired. Another way to prevent problems in the future is by insulating the flooring of your attic to prevent heat from escaping the living areas of your home and into your attic. Alternatively or additionally, ventilate your attic so the temperatures are not warmer than the outdoor temperatures.
Get in touch with a company like Durable Roofing Company for more information.
Share6 February 2020
When you want to make your home shine, there are some very important basic components you should be mindful of. For starters, you should evaluate the exterior of your home to determine whether or not the siding or exterior cladding needs to be replaced. Next, you should check to see if the roofing needs to be replaced, since it really can make a powerful difference. Roofing can take up a great deal of the visual space from the outside, so think carefully about how yours looks. Pay attention to issues like aged, curling shingles or roofing that contains dips or divots. Check out this blog for great tips about roofing.
