How to Manage and Prevent Ice Dams on Your Roof

Ice dams - a formation of ice frosted on the edge of a roof - tend to cause extensive damage when left unchecked, which can pose a serious threat to the integrity of your home. Therefore, it's important to do whatever you can to prevent ice dams from occurring. And when they do occur, it's best to deal with them immediately so that they don't get any worse.

What Is an Ice Dam?

An ice dam occurs when water from melting snow freezes at the edge of your roofline. This creates a barrier that blocks water from running off, causing the water to seep underneath your roof shingles and (eventually) into your home.

The consequences of ice dams tend to be pretty grave. For one, icicles will develop on the side of your roof, which can pose a threat to those below. They also block your gutters and clog them with debris, which can cause your gutters to collapse from excessive weight.

Ice dams can also cause leaks in your roof. When you have a leak in your roof, it allows warm air to exit and cold air to enter, which can increase your energy bill. Roof leaks also allow melting snow to enter your home, which can cause moisture damage as well as widening cracks from repeated freezing and melting cycles.

How Do I Prevent Ice Dams?

There are two main ways to prevent ice dams from occurring. The easiest way to prevent them is by using a roof rake to regularly remove snow from your roof. However, depending on how high and large your roof is, this may be dangerous. If you don't feel comfortable raking your own roof, then you call always hire a professional roofing contractor.

Another way to precent ice dams is to install heat cables in the icy areas on your roof. These heat cables will keep the area warm so that water will run off your roof as opposed to freezing on the edge. However, they can be intrusive and are a bit of an eyesore. There are other options available that you can install if you want something more discreet.

How Do I Remove Ice Dams from My Roof?

If you have an ice dam on your roof right now, the best way to deal with it is with calcium chloride. If you pour calcium chloride over the ice dam, then it will break up the ice and allow it to melt. Make sure the product is not sodium chloride or rock salt, because those will damage your roof. Also, calcium chloride can damage plants, so make sure to move or cover any plants that are below your roof. To do this yourself could be dangerous, so consider hiring a contractor.

Need help preventing or removing ice dams on your New Hampshire home? Our roofing team has extensive experience in handling them, as well as any other issues your roof may have. Call us at 603-365-7156, or fill out the contact us form. We’d love to work with you!