The icicles hanging off of your roof may look pretty twinkling in the sun, but did you ever think about what that ice means to your roofing structure?
Significant snowfall combined with melting and re-freezing, which New Jersey residents are all too familiar with, can create ice dam problems on your roof.
These ice dams can cause significant damage to your roof—and your home’s interior.
What is an Ice Dam?
An ice dam is essentially a frozen barrier that forms against the lower edge of your roof due to a temperature variance between the higher and lower sections of the structure.
The lower portions of your roof are more likely to be cooler than 32 degrees Fahrenheit, the freezing point. The ridge of ice forms on the lower areas of the roof and prevents the melted snow that’s accumulated on the higher, warmer areas of the roof to run off of your house.
The trapped snow and water pools on the roof and may leak into your home.
Damage from ice dams includes shingle damage as well as mildew, both on the exterior and interior of your home—and water leakage within the walls of your house.
Ice Dam Prevention and Solutions
Preventing an ice dam is theoretically easy: remove accumulations of snow from the roof before ice dams form.
Realistically speaking, this can be easier said than done; climbing up on your roof during a snowstorm can be slippery and hard to accomplish safely. Why not enlist the help of a professional roofing contractor who can handle this task for you!
Hiring a Roofing Contractor to Handle Ice Dam Damage!
Roofing contractors like LGC Roofing are experienced professionals who can remove ice, snow and existing ice dams without damaging the roof itself. Oftentimes, some roof repairs may be required to fix or replace shingles that have become brittle, moldy or bruised as a result of excessive water exposure. LGC can handle those roofing repairs for you!
With over 25 years in the roofing business, LGC experts are skilled at ice dam repair and prevention. Call LGC Roofing today at 609-712-8157 for an ice dam removal estimate, or to inquire about other roofing services.
Incoming search terms:
Related posts:
6 Comments
Living in Colorado we don’t see that many flat roofs out here – too much snow accumulation would be a real problem.
Joanna recently posted..28 Stunning HDR Photos of US National Parks
Today’s post >> Winter #Roofing Damage: Protect Your Roof from Ice Dams http://bit.ly/gddVKf
Remember to be very careful when removing snow off your roof. You don’t want to rip or otherwise damage the roofing material!
Do not use rock salt to melt the snow/ice – it will stain the roof and siding!
Winter Roofing… http://lgcroofingnj.com/roofingblog/roof-maintenance/winter-roofing-damage-protect-your-roof-from-ice-dams/ #roofing
Winter Roofing Damage: Protect Your Roof from Ice Dams http://t.co/toxlBdk
4 Trackbacks
[...] Properly ventilating and insulating the attic is usually the best way to prevent ice dams. [...]
[...] avoid ice dams before they happen, make sure your attic is adequately ventilated. Attic temperatures should be the [...]
[...] or penetrate your roof shingles, tiles, ceilings and walls—leading to major water damage. To prevent ice dams from ruining your home’s exterior and interior, remove snow from the roof using a roof rake (if [...]
[...] By Lukasz Sobczuk | Published: December 20, 2011 The less-than-predictable East Coast winters can wreak havoc on your NJ roof. Here are three of the most common winter roof problems—and the winterization steps you can take [...]