While everyone wants a white Christmas, when the festive period has been and gone, everyone wants the snow to disappear. But in Minnesota, this doesn’t always happen! It makes everyday tasks a lot harder. From going grocery shopping to driving to work, snow can slow you down and changes your plans. But if you’re a homeowner, you could have bigger problems- roof ice dams.
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What are Ice Dams?
Everyone has heard about ice dams, but what exactly are they? Well, this is a ridge of ice that is created on the edge of your roof during the winter. Ice dams form when the edges of your roof are colder than the rest of the surface. This can happen if heat is escaping from your home or the temperature suddenly changes. This big block of ice prevents the snow from draining off your roof and into your gutter system. This is where your problems begin. When the water can’t drain away, it can back up and move underneath your shingles. This can lead to water leaking through your roof and damaging the insulation, attic, and other parts of your home. One thing’s for sure; ice dams can cause extensive damage if they aren’t prevented.
Roof Ice Dam Solutions
Now that you understand what ice dams are, you’re going to want to know how to prevent them and how to get off them once and for all. Well, we have a range of roof ice dam solutions you can try. Let’s check them out.
Remove ice dams with a rake.
So, you’ve discovered you may have ice dams forming on your roof. One of the ways you can quickly get rid of them is with a rake. This is going to be able to pull off the snow for your roof and chip away at the ice. But you do have to be careful that you don’t damage the shingles on your roof.
Use an ice melting product.
Another option you have is using an ice melting product. You can usually pick these up at your local store and they are going to be able to melt away the snow and ice that is currently on your roof. A lot of people use this product with pantyhose and leave them on the roof to melt the ice. There is a risk that this will fall from your roof and you have another problem trying to get it up there.
But, do you know what the problem with these roof ice dam solutions is? They don’t solve the root of the problem. Sometimes it’s best to hit the nail on the head and look at ways to prevent ice dams altogether. First of all, you can start with your attic. You can keep the heat inside your home by adding more insulation.
Connect ducts to your rooms.
Another way is to make sure that you have ducts connected to rooms in your houses, such as bathrooms and kitchens. This will make sure that warm air is exhausted from your home but doesn’t go through the roof.
Contact HotEdge Today!
Of course, we saved the best roof ice dam solution until last. HotEdge uses a single heat trace cable system that is going to not only get rid of ice dams, but it’s also going to prevent them from ever coming back. That’s right; it’s that good. It makes sure that the edges of your roof are consistently at a warm temperature so that snow cannot freeze and cause a ridge. This means that you will have no ice dams during the winter months. Using a single cable provides you with enough heat, while also saving you money on energy bills compared to other systems too.
