Ice Dams
One of the more common causes of damage to a home in the winter is the ice dam
Contractors, handymen, and remodelers love ice dams. The stained ceilings, damaged gutters, and torn-up eaves left behind by the ice dam represent a rich business opportunity. All it takes is a deep snow followed by temperatures cycling around the freezing mark and there exists an epidemic of roof ice problems.
Rising heat from within the house melts the snow from the upper portion of the roof and ice is formed when it re-freezes further down, usually at the eaves edge where there is no heat to melt it. A ridge of ice is formed often called an “ice dam”. The weight of the ice often damages the gutters and eaves. Water trapped behind the ice dam will often seep down under the shingles and damage walls and ceilings on the inside of the house. If no efforts were made to dry out the wall cavity, rotting within the wall is greatly increased.
The temporary solution to an ice dam is to remove it. Some handymen use a hammer and chisel and dance along the drip edge to break-up the dam. A better temporary method is to fill nylon stockings with road salt and then lay the stockings at straticic points along the offending dam. The road salt will melt the ice dam and release the trapped water. The released water drains off the house instead of into it and onto your ceiling.
The more permanent solution to a chronic problem of ice dams is almost always a combination of more insulation and better ventilation. Additional insulation lessens the heat escaping up into the attic thus reducing the amount available to melt the snow. Additional ventilation carries off what ever heat does become available. Adequate insulation and ventilation keep the roof cold, preventing snow from melting. When outside air becomes warm enough to melt the snow, no re-freezing will occur and the ice damming problem is no longer a problem. The first step in preventing ice dams is to make sure your attic insulation meets or exceeds the current energy code for your region (R38 to R49 or 14” to 15” of insulation for upstate New York). The second step is to improve the attic ventilation. A properly ventilated attic should have 1 to 3 square feet of unimpeded vent area (ridge, soffit, gable, or other) for every 300 square feet of attic floor space (more ventilation is better).
If you have a roof concern and would like a third party evaluation, contact a professional home inspector.
Chet Riley is the Owner/Proprietor of CENTENNIAL Home Inspections. For any questions regarding home inspections, please call Chet at 585-293-2278. Or e-mail him at criley1@rochester.rr.com. Further information can be obtained at http://www.centennialhomeinspections.com/.