WHAT IS AN ICE DAM?

  • An Ice Dam is a hump of ice that forms at the edge of a roof under certain wintertime conditions. An ice dam can damage both your roof and the inside of your home. It will put gutters and downspouts at risk too.
  • Ice Dams are a common sight in North Jersey winters.   There are several things you can do to avoid getting an ice dam or to reduce the risk of damage after one has formed, but there’s really only one cure: a combination of better sealing, insulation, and venting in the attic and eaves.

HOW DO ICE DAMS FORM?

  • An ice dam forms when the roof over the attic gets warm enough to melt the underside of the layer of snow on the roof. The water trickles down between the layer of snow and the shingles until it reaches the eave of the roof, which stays cold because it extends beyond the side of the house. There, the water freezes, gradually growing into a mound of ice.

WHY SHOULD I CLEAN MY GUTTERS

  • The gutters play an important part when ice dams form. If the gutters are clogged with debris before the snow falls there is a cushion for the snow and ice to build up.  Heavy snow and ice can cause your gutters to to come away from the fascia.  Make sure that your gutters are tightly secured before the winter.  Keltom Gutters offers gutter repair service

WHAT DAMAGE DO ICE DAMS CAUSE?

  • When an ice dam gets big enough, melted water backs up behind it and seeps underneath the shingles. Eventually, it will drip into the insulation and down into the ceilings and exterior walls beneath the eave, ruining sheet rock and paint. If the ice dam breaks free, it can pull shingles and gutters off with it, and it will damage anything it falls on: shrubs, windowsills, cars, pets, and people. If the roof sheathing stays wet, it can form mildew and start to rot.

HOW CAN YOU DEAL WITH AN ICE DAM?

There are two avenues of attack: dealing with an existing ice dam and preventing one in the first place.

DEALING WITH EXISTING ICE DAMS

  • Remove the ice dam by breaking it free in small chucks. Do NOT use an ax or other sharp tool! You’ll cut through the shingles OR bend you gutters.  Instead, tap lightly with a blunt mallet. This is slow, dangerous work, so hire someone experienced at roofing. Even if you do it safely, the chunks of ice can take pieces of shingle with them.
  • Clear out gutters and downspouts. Again, this is ladder work and an easy way to damage either plastic or metal gutters and spouts.
  • Melt troughs through the ice dam with calcium chloride ice melter. Do NOT use rock salt! It will damage paint, metals, and plants beneath the eave and wherever the salty water drains.

PREVENTING ICE DAM

  • Stopping ice dams is simple, in principle: Just keep the entire roof the same temperature as the eaves. You do that by increasing ventilation, adding insulation, and sealing off every possible air leak that might warm the underside of the roof, as shown in the illustration below. By taking care of these trouble spots, listed here in order of priority, you should enjoy a winter free of dams and use less energy to boot.

    1. Ventilate Eaves And Ridge
    A ridge vent paired with continuous soffit vents circulates cold air under the entire roof. Both ridge and soffit vents should have the same size openings and provide at least 1 square foot of opening for every 300 square feet of attic floor. Place baffles at the eaves to maintain a clear path for the airflow from the soffit vents.

    2. Cap the Hatch
    An unsealed attic hatch or whole-house fan is a massive opening for heat to escape. Cover them with weatherstripped caps made from foil-faced foam board held together with aluminum tape.

    3. Exhaust to the Outside
    Make sure that the ducts connected to the kitchen, bathroom, and dryer vents all lead outdoors through either the roof or walls, but never through the soffit.

    4. Add Insulation
    More insulation on the attic floor keeps the heat where it belongs. To find how much insulation your attic needs, check with your local building department.

    5. Install Sealed Can Lights
    Old-style recessed lights give off great plumes of heat and can’t be insulated without creating a fire hazard. Replace them with sealed “IC” fixtures, which can be covered with insulation.

    6. Flash Around Chimneys
    Bridge the gap between chimney and house framing with L-shaped steel flashing held in place with unbroken beads of a fire-stop sealant. Using canned spray foam or insulation isn’t fire safe.

    7. Seal and Insulate Ducts
    Spread fiber-reinforced mastic on the joints of HVAC ducts and exhaust ducts. Cover them entirely with R-5 or R-6 foil-faced fiberglass.

    8. Caulk Penetrations
    Seal around electrical cables and vent pipes with a fire-stop sealant. Also, look for any spots where light shines up from below or the insulation is stained black by the dirt from passing air.

    HOPE THIS HELPS…..CALL NOW TO SCHEDULE YOUR GUTTER CLEANING!!

    OUR GUTTER CLEANING MAINTENANCE AGREEMENTS ARE FLEXIBLE, EASY BASED ON YOUR SCHEDULE NOT OURS….LOCK IN YOUR PRICE.

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