Snow On Roof Ice Dam

Ice dams form when the snow melts on an upper warmer part of a roof.

Snow on roof ice dam.

Ice dams and icicles form when the snow melts runs down your roof and refreezes near the edge. An ice dam is an ice build up on the eaves of sloped roofs of heated buildings that results from melting snow under a snow pack reaching the eave and freezing there. An ice dam forms when the roof over the attic gets warm enough to melt the underside of the layer of snow on the roof. The calcium chloride will eventually melt through the snow and ice and create a channel for water to flow down into the gutters or off the roof.

The water trickles down between the layer of snow and the shingles until it reaches the eave of the roof which stays cold because it extends beyond the side of the house. This scenario is often the result of a warm attic. Lay the hose onto the roof so it crosses the ice dam and overhangs the gutter. Ask this old house general contractor tom silva explains the best ways to keep your roof and gutters free from those dreaded ice dams.

Freezing at the eave impedes the drainage of meltwater which adds to the ice dam and causes backup of the meltwater which may cause water leakage into the roof and consequent damage to the building and its contents if the water. What is an ice dam. Why do i need to get the snow removed from my roof. If necessary use a long handled garden rake or hoe to push it into position.

Stop ice dams with a cold roof. Call us at 1 800 ice dams if you have an ice dam on your roof and live anywhere in the lower 48 including in hard hit minnesota illinois and wisconsin. You can end the leaks with a phone call to ice dam guys. As the ice accumulates it forms a blockage that prevents the snowmelt from flowing off the roof.

See below for a shopp. Heat loss from a house snow cover and outside temperatures interact to form ice dams. The meltwater then runs down toward the colder eave overhang where it freezes. Ice dams may form when water from melting snow freezes into ice at the edge of your roofline.

This only occurs when part of your roof warms to above 32 degrees f warm enough to melt the snow while the roof edge remains below freezing. Nonuniform roof surface temperatures lead to ice dams. For ice dams to form there must be snow on the roof and at the same time higher portions of the roof s outside surface must be above 32 degrees f freezing while lower surfaces are below 32f.