While many people are dreaming of a white Christmas, many homeowners are hoping to avoid the nightmare of roof ice dams. When you live in a snowy region of the country, you know too well the damage that ice dams can cause to your home. They can cause leaks ruining your walls, carpets and possessions, as well as pulling your gutters off the exterior of your property. This can cause you thousands of dollars in repairs.
Of course, this raises the question about how you can prevent ice dams in the first place. In particular, a common query is if there are any kind of roofs that are more prone to ice dams. So, let’s have a look at the facts and see.
A lot of homeowners have a shingle roof and we know this can be a surface that ice dams are drawn to. This is because shingles have layers for the snow to stick and cling to. When the snow melts and freezes on your eaves, this can back up and cause damage.
That is why many people have a metal roof, in the hope that ice dams cannot form. The metal surface definitely makes it harder for the snow to grip, especially if it is a steep roof. In addition, it is harder for a metal roof to leak and cause damage if there are ice dams.
If you have a lower sloped roof, you will know that ice dams can thrive. Since it isn’t as steep, the snow doesn’t move and slide off as easily and it can become compacted. This can mean roof ice dam causes real problems.
Unfortunately, the truth is, roof ice dams can form on almost any kind of roof. As we know, ice dams are caused by the heat release from the roof or sunshine melting the snow and causing it to freeze on the eaves of your home. There is not one roof type that is going to completely protect you from ice dams.
A lot of people opt for a professional to remove the snow and ice dams from the roof of their home. But, this will only solve the problem temporarily. If you really want to avoid ice dams for good, you need heat trace cable systems, such at HotEdge. This is the permanent solution that you are looking for that can protect any roof from ice dams, as it doesn’t let any snow freeze to create them. Problem solved!
