Remember the ice dams of 2015? Yeah, we don’t want to either.
It's hard to believe it was just three years ago that Nova Scotians were digging themselves out of record-breaking amounts of snow while insurance companies and remediation specialists were struggling to keep up with ice-dam-related water damage claims. If you were one of the home owners who suffered serious property damage and can no longer look at an icicle dangling from a roof the same way, I completely understand. And, I sincerely apologize for any flashbacks I have caused with this post.
Unfortunately, this is the time of the year that ice dams can appear and cause havoc. Ice dams form when your roof gets warm enough to melt the underside of the layer of snow on the roof. The water runs down the shingles underneath the snow, until it meets the eave which stays cold because it extends beyond the house. Here the water will re-freeze, building into a block of ice on the eave. Once the ice hump becomes big enough, melting snow is trapped and water has nowhere to go but up—underneath your shingles. Icicles forming on the edge of the roof or off the edge of the gutter can be a warning sign that your house is at risk of an ice dam. Once water has made its way into the home, it can create significant damage and, in some cases, lead to mold growth.
If you have an ice dam, mitigating your damages consists of shoveling off your roof and carefully breaking up the ice. However, prior to doing this you should get guidance from your insurance company as to the requirements of your policy. You can also clear out your gutters and downspouts and melt troughs through the ice with calcium chloride rather than rock salt. These paths will allow the water to drain off your roof.
It seems obvious, but the best way to avoid an ice dam is prevention. Although you might think the roof is the culprit, the root of an ice dam is actually insulation and ventilation. Preventing an ice dam requires keeping the entire roof the same temperature as the eaves. To do this, you have to stop heat loss from inside your home and make sure cool air is circulating in your attic and underneath your roof. If you are concerned, some measure you can take are sealing up all leaks that may allow warm air to escape from the house into your attic (around the attic hatch, bathroom fans, etc.), and improving ventilation and insulation where necessary. Its important to contact a specialist, as you will want to ensure any insulation that you add to your home is balanced with sufficient ventilation.
Home improvement investments like insulation and ventilation are never the fun ones – certainly not as exciting as a bathroom or kitchen renovation that you can see and enjoy. However, not only will the money spent to improve insulation and air flow reduce your risk of an ice dam, it will decrease your heating costs and save you a whole lot of heartache. Win-win-win, right?