![]() Ice still continues to build up around them, as they melt more snow and produce more water than can drain off the roof during the cold winter. Heat cables are not the right answer 99% of the time they have their own issues. We know, because we remove ice dams from hundreds of homes and commercial buildings each winter that don’t even have gutters! To dispel an old myth: Gutters do not cause or even increase the severity of ice dams. To ultimately solve the problem from happening in the future you need to air-seal the attic to stop warm air from escaping through openings for pipes, electrical wiring and around ceiling lighting fixtures, add the proper amount of insulation, and then make sure you have adequate ventilation from the soffits to the vents on your roof top. This water finds cracks and openings in the exterior roof covering and flows into the attic, where it can leak down into exterior walls or through the ceiling insulation and stain the ceiling. So the water above backs up behind the ice dam and remains a liquid. The dam grows as it is fed by the melting snow above it, but it will limit itself to the portions of the roof that have an average temperature that is below freezing. This link from the U of M explains it all in detail. As the water flows down the roof it reaches a portion of the roof that is below 32☏ and freezes, creating an ice dam. An ice dam is a ridge of ice that forms at the edge of a roof and prevents melting snow (water) from draining off the roof. While the snow is still soft, usually right after. For ice dams to form there must be snow on the roof ice dams form when heat from the house escapes into the attic and warms the roof enough to melt the snow. Use a lightweight roof rake ideally one with a long extension so you can stay safely on the ground. Ice dams are the result of an interaction between the snow cover on the roof, heat loss from the house and the outdoor temperatures. ![]() ![]() Every winter thousands of homeowners in Minnesota have to deal with ice dams on their roofs. ![]()
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