What Makes Ice Dams On The Roof & What To Do About It
As much as you may like the beauty of winter, it can cause some problems for your roof. When you wake up on a beautiful morning in Wisconsin and see the sparkling icicles hanging from the trees and roof as the sun kisses everything, it can seem so surreal. The fresh snow blanketing the ground and the icicles are amazingly beautiful, true, but icicles can quickly turn into deadly spears.
If ice builds up along your roof edge, it’s not a good thing. This is called an ice dam. Not only are they dangerous to walk under, ice dams are not good for the roof and gutters either. But what causes ice dams and what can you do about it?
Holes & Wood Damage At Soffits & Fascia
If you look at the roof, there is an overhang. Some are pretty extensive and some are small. The fascia is the board that caps the end of the roof and is the board that gutters are installed on. The soffit is the underside of the overhang and is also known as the eave. If any part of the roof overhang is damage, it can cause an ice dam along the roof edge because the temperature is colder there. Heat from the home rises to the attic, so this difference will cause ice to form on the roof in that area.
Missing Insulation
Not every home is built right, unfortunately, so there could be missing insulation in the wall cavity or attic that is just under where the ice dam forms. If this is the case, it will make a big difference in the energy efficiency of your home too to install more insulation.
