Are Ice Dams a Danger to Your Roofing?
Have you seen icicles hanging from your Billings roofing? Most people think these are just a sign of winter weather, but they could actually be a sign of a more problematic issue that homeowners might not be aware of, but that could cost you a lot of money and be a hassle if left untreated. The problem is ice dams, and anyone who lives in a place with snow, ice, and cold weather during the winter months could be at risk. If that describes your home, here are some ways to eliminate and prevent ice dams.
Understand the Cause
Before you can eliminate or prevent ice dams, the first step is to understand how they form. The air inside your home is much warmer (hopefully) than the air outside during the winter, and when some of that hot air escapes from inside through the attic, it might make its way to the top of the attic where it melts the snow on top of your Billings roofing. That melted snow flows toward the gutters, but before it can make it there it has to pass over the eaves of the home that are much colder, and it might freeze again. This creates a blockage on the outer edge of the roof that won’t allow any other water to get through, so any more melted snow just sits on the shingles.
Why They Form
The most common reasons that ice dams form on a roof are either, or perhaps both, of the following:
- Poorly insulated attics that allow an excess of warm air to reach the top of the roof.
- Poorly ventilated attics that trap warm air and don’t allow it to circulate properly to the outdoors
In either case you can talk to a roofing contractor in Billings about either adding more (or better) insulation, improving your ventilation based on the shape and size of your attic, or perhaps both.
Removing Existing Ice Dams
If you have ice dams on your roof right now, removing them can be potentially dangerous, especially on a Billings roof covered in ice and snow. Call a Billings roofer to have them come and examine the problem; they have the proper safety equipment to prevent injuries when clearing the dams, and they will know the best de-icing strategies to prevent damage to your shingles.
