That Dam Ice

1/21/2016 (Permalink)

Typical Ice Dam

As the next winter storm bares down on the northeast, the chances of several inches (or feet) of snow piling up on your roof are pretty good. What you don't want is that snow closest to your gutter creating a waterfall on the INSIDE of your house.

It is not unusual for the snow, especially when your gutter runs along an overhang, to melt and re-freeze into ice, and then burrow its way underneath the shingles. This is your classic case of ice damming and if you don't do something to prevent it, you could end up with water streaming down your interior drywall and possibly within the wall cavity itself. Worse yet, if you do not react quickly enough, your hard wood floors could be ruined as well.

The solution? Be proactive. 

First - Purchase a "roof rake". For a $50 or $60 investment at your local hardware store, you could save thousands of dollars in water damage. Once the snow has stopped falling, use the roof rake to pull as much snow off the roof as possible. It is advisable to reach at least 5 or 6 feet from the gutter.

Second - Use the edge of rake to "skim" along the inside of the gutter to clear out as much snow as possible.

Third - Utilize "gutter heaters". Obviously, this step is best done in the spring, summer or fall. Typically, a heavy duty wire is attached in a zig-zag pattern along the edge of the roof reaching about 3-4 feet from the gutter. The same wire runs inside the gutter. When it is plugged in, after you have cleared as much snow as you can, the gutter heater will melt the residual snow and prevent ice (and an ice dam) from forming.

Although nothing is fail safe, these three steps will give you a much better chance and you can hopefully avoid dealing with that ice dam.

Good luck!