One of the worst problems that exist for your home has got to be ice dams. These are the blocks of ice that form on the eaves of your home that can cause serious havoc and damage to your roof and the inside of your house. We aren’t exaggerating; ice dams cost homeowners in colder regions of the country thousands of dollars in repairs every year. This includes replacing roof shingles, fixing collapsing gutters and repainting ceilings and walls inside the house.
Why do roof ice dams form? It can be for a mix of reasons, but it is always caused by snow melting and refreezing on the eaves, creating a block of ice that causes the water to back up onto your roof. The snow can melt due to bad insulation inside the home or through a sudden rise and fall in the temperature outside. Either way, if you see icicles forming on the edges of your room, you could have a problem with roof ice dams.
So, when is the worst time of the year for ice dams? Well, when the temperature starts to drop around winter time, this is when you are most likely to see ice dams forming on the roof of your home. For cold parts of the country, this is around December time, lasting until around mid-February. While a lot of children wish for a white Christmas, their parents are secretly hoping that the snow doesn’t fall around the festive period or into the new year!
Of course, if you live in snowy regions of the country, you will be subject to colder temperatures, snow and ice for a couple more months than most places. That’s right, you guessed it; this also means your risk of developing roof ice dams is higher. The more snow you have, the more likely it is that ice dams will make an appear on your roof.
But, just because the winter is the worst time of year for ice dams doesn’t mean you can’t prevent them. A lot of homeowners opt for the quick options, such as buying ice melting products from the store or using a roof rake. There are even professional services that can help you clear your roof with jet washing equipment. While these options might work for you in the short term, they are only temporary measures that will help you get through one winter. In fact, they may only help you protect your home for a few days, depending on the amount of snow and ice you have!
That is why it is best to look for long term solutions and that is exactly what you will get with systems like HotEdge. This uses a heat trace cable system to keep the temperature of your roof consistent, which means there will be nowhere cold enough for roof ice dams to form. This will keep your gutters clear and allow water to drain properly like they do at warmer times of the year. You won’t have to pay for services every time it snows nor will you have to get up on the roof yourself. This heat trace cable system is suitable for all types of roofs, such as asphalt shingles and metal.
So, while winter may be the worst time of year for roof ice dams, it doesn’t mean you have to fall into the trap. You can save thousands of dollars every year with a simple heat trace cable system like HotEdge. Does that not sound simple? That is because it is.
