What Causes Ice Dams? And how to get rid of them!

Ice dams are the dread of every home owner. In most incidents, they can cause extensive damage to your home.

An ice dam is a ridge of ice that forms at the edge of a roof and prevents melting snow from draining off the roof. The water that backs up behind the Ice dam can literally reverse course and leak back under the roof shingles and into your home which can damage walls, ceilings, insulation, electrical outlets, flooring, kitchen cabinets, etc...

What Causes Ice Dams?

For an ice dam to occur, there must be an accumulation of snow on the roof. The heat from inside the home rises through the ceiling into the attic area and is not able to escape quickly enough through vents. This causes the roof to heat up above 0 degrees Celsius (32 Fahrenheit). This causes the snow to melt and begin to run down the roof. 

When the water travels down the roof it passes over the outside wall of the house where the roof is below 0 degrees Celsius (32 Fahrenheit) and it begins to freeze. As melting snow feeds the ice dam it causes an enormous mound of ice which protrudes over the eavestroughs and can form large icicles up to 6-8 ft in length.

When this happens we are in the stage where it can cause serious and costly damage to your home.

What Damage Will Ice Dams Cause?

Without question, Ice dams can damage your home! Believe me, it has happened to me twice after I bought two different homes. It is a sickening feeling watching water come through drywall, light fixtures, windows, and on to your flooring.  The dripping water can cause your walkways to ice up and create a fall hazard like the one below! 

I've personally seen ice dams cause the following  damage to homes:

• Gutters and downspout damage because the weight of the ice ripped them off the house.
• Extensive drywall damage as water collapsed the ceiling inside the house.  
• Insulation damage as the insulation was completely soaked and soggy.
• Roof and shingle damage.
• Flooring which had to be replaced.

And here's the kicker! Most insurance companies WONT cover the damage as it is not considered an "act of god".

How Do I Prevent Ice Dams? 

There are two common causes of ice dams:

1. Excessive heat loss from the home. If you have inadequate insulation in the ceiling, heat loss can be so rapid, through the ceiling that it can not be vented fast enough. To solve this problem, increase the amount of insulation in your attic but make sure you do not clog the soffit area of the house. Also keep in mind if you have a story and a half style home you can have more than one attic. One house I owned had 5 separate attic areas!
2. The heat loss from the home is not able to escape. This is usually the result of soffits that are inadequately vented and roof vents that are not functioning properly. To solve this problem you will need to remove all the eavestrough, fascia, and soffit from your house, cut holes in the soffit area and then replace all the aluminium. You may also need to add more roof vents to the house.
 How do you remove Ice Dams if you have them? 

Remember removing snow and ice from a roof is extremely dangerous! It is vitally important to use extreme care and use the proper equipment such as a ladder with a ladder stand off. 
Here are some things you can do to address ice dams:

1. Remove snow from your roof using a roof rake. This should be done after snow falls to avoid ice dams. 

2. Fill a pantyhose with calcium chloride and lay it perpendicularly across the ice dam. It can eat its way down to form a channel for the backed up water to get through.

3. You can try chipping or chiseling away icicles and ice dams but I do not recommend this option. I've seen overzealous home owners do extensive damage to their roof and eavestrough! 

4. You can try heat cables to melt the ice dam.

5. The best option is to call a roofing professional to take care of the whole thing. This is likely the best and safest bet to get rid of an ice dam.

Will Gutter Guards Prevent Ice Dams?

I get asked this question A LOT!!!!!! There are companies that will tell you Gutter Protection will solve ice dam issues.  However, the answer is ABSOLUTELY NOT!  Gutter Protection WILL NOT prevent ice dams. The eavestroughs are not the cause of the ice dam so placing a cover on the eavestrough certainly won't solve it! If anyone tells you differently, they are simply trying to sell you something to make a buck! 

If you want a very informative article about ice dams, read this article on This Old House: https://www.thisoldhouse.com/how-to/how-to-get-rid-ice-dams

I hope this article has been helpful to you. If you would like a quote from The Eavestrough Company, please contact us at 905-902-9424 or visit our website at www.theeavestroughcompany.com