Ice Dam Prevention Services
What are Ice Dams?
Ice dams are ridges of ice that form at the edge of commercial or residential roofing, preventing water drain of melting snow. When ice dams become overwhelming, the excess water backs up behind the damn, potentially seeping into the building, causing water damage to interior walls and ceilings, and even potentially leading to dangerous mold growth.
How to Prevent Ice Dams from Forming
There are various simple steps that you can take from home right now to prevent ice dams from forming on your home or business roof. Here, we’ve listed out a few of our most essential tips.
- Properly Installed Insulation – proper insulation between your attic floor and living areas of the house keeps heat trapped within your home, instead of melting snow excessively, helping ice dams to form eventually.
- Ventilation – A soffit-to-ridge ventilation system is the most effective system to cool roof sheathing. An even temperature along the entire roof will prevent the thaw and refreeze cycle, thus preventing ice dams.
- Correctly Installed Roofing System – A waterproofing membrane at least 3’ up from the eave will limit the amount of water that can penetrate the roof.
Unfortunately, sometimes ice dams do form and need to be removed immediately. To complete this task correctly, you should enlist professional ice dam removal specialists. Neglecting ice dams can result in severe and expensive damage to your home or business, so don’t wait! And while it may be tempting to remove the ice dam yourself, we highly recommend against it as the ice dam removal can be a dangerous task if not performed by an experienced and trained professional.