If you have suffered from ice dams before, you know exactly how much of a nightmare they can be. They can cost you thousands of dollars in repair and what’s worse is they seem to come back year after year. Well, it’s time to put a stop to ice dams once and for all.
Follow our seven steps to get rid of ice dams so you can enjoy your winter and festive season!
Check for Ice Dams
The first step is important. You have got to check your roof to see whether you can see ice dams forming. Signs you might have a problem include icicles hanging from your roof, as well as more obvious signs like damage in your home. But, the chances are if you have had them before and it has been snowing recently, they may be forming again.
Clear the Roof
If you have ice dams, you have got to clear them before you can do anything. You can use a roof rake and chemicals to melt the ice by yourself. But, this can be dangerous and if you are not confident, there are professional companies that can do it for you. It can be expensive, but since you will be taking roof ice dam prevention steps from here onwards, this will only be a one-time payment.
Seal the Attic Hatch
Inside your home, you have got to work out how you can keep the heat in and prevent it from escaping and warming your roof. The attic hatch is a common way to lose heat. By investing in caps to seal your attic hatch, you can prevent warm air rising and escaping.
More Insulation
Ice dams are formed when the ice melts from your roof. So, one way to lose less heat from your home is by adding more insulation to your attic. This can decrease the chance of heat escaping from your home and melting the ice.
Attic Ventilation
Making sure your attic is properly ventilated will bring down the temperature in your attic. Roof vents are a great way to let in the cold air from outside. This will prevent the heat warming the roof and letting the ice run down onto the cold eaves to form ice dams.
Invest in Heat Cable System
The best way for roof ice dam prevention is by investing in a heat cable system like HotEdge. This makes sure your roof surface stays warm to melt away the ice before it can form back into a dam on the edges of your roof. This is the one way you can permanently prevent ice dams and the destruction that they bring with them.
Sit Back and Relax!
There you have it; you’ve reached the step where you can sit back, relax and enjoy the winter. Now that you have taken all the steps towards roof ice dam prevention, there is nothing left to worry about. Now you can have a peaceful winter and enjoy the festive season!
