Ice Dams - How to Prevent Them

In areas of the country with rough winters, which produce, moderate to heavy snowfall, roofers will often install ice-dam barriers. These are heavy-duty, self-adhesive, waterproof sheet of underlayment, which prevents melting snow from getting under the shingles when it flows into the ice at the bottom of the roof. Ice dams that can cause leaks along the eaves. To be effective the ice-dam barrier has to extend at least 24 up the outside of the roof, measuring from the interior attic wall. Proper ventilation is another means of minimizing the thaw/freeze cycle, which causes the formation of ice-dams. When a roof is properly ventilated, the cold air circulates from eave vents to ridge vents, which neutralizes the variations in temperature on the roof. A properly insulated roof also helps to keep heat in during the winter months and reduces heat gain during the summer, thus helping to lower energy bills.

For roofs that cannot be properly retrofitted for proper ventilation, there are electrical heating cables that can be installed along the section of roof above the overhangs, which prevents ice-dams from forming.

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