For some, icicles are the quintessential sign of a winter’s day, but while they might look beautiful reflecting the sun on the edge of your home, they are actually a sign of one of the biggest potential problems for your Dublin, OH roofing in the winter months—ice dams.
How Ice Dams Form
Ice dams form when warm air from your home rises to the roof, melting snow and ice on the top ridge of the roof. The melted snow flows down the roof toward the gutters, but when it hits the colder outer edges of the roofing it sometimes re-freezes, causing an ice dam. The visible sign of this is often icicles, but what you can’t see is the potential damage that standing water is causing on your shingles. If left long enough it will eventually damage the shingles to the point of causing roof leaks.
Preventing Ice Dams
Preventing ice dams is easy in theory: simply keep your roof temperatures constant, preventing melted snow and ice from freezing out at the eaves. In reality it’s harder to do, but there are some things you can do to keep ice dams to a minimum.
1: Proper Ventilation
Installing proper ventilation in the ridges and soffits can keep cold air circulating throughout the entire attic so you won’t have hot air melting snow at the top of the roofing. There are specific measurements for how many vents you should install per square foot of attic space, so be sure to consult a roofing contractor in Dublin, OH to get it correct.
2: Improve Insulation
Having the right level of insulation in the attic can also help prevent heat from escaping from within the house to the attic and roofing above. Consult a contractor to find out about how much insulation you should have, and inspect your existing insulation to make sure it’s not damaged.
3: Clean Gutters
It’s also a good idea to make sure the gutters and downspouts around the house are clean and clear of debris so water that does get to the edges of the house can flow away and out into the yard.
To find out more about preventing ice dams, talk to a roofing contractor in Dublin, OH today.