Winter poses many challenges. Among those are ice dams. Damaging to your gutters and your home, homeowners should take every step possible to prevent ice dams from developing. Here’s how to get started:
What causes ice dams?
When the snow melts off your roof, meltwater accumulates and freezes along the overhang, creating an ice dam. The only way to prevent ice dams is to prevent snowmelt. This means keeping your roof cold while the rest of your home is kept toasty warm. How is this accomplished? By using these three methods: insulation, ventilation, and waterproofing.
Insulation
A properly insulated attic will prevent warm air from escaping and warming your roof. Most modern homes have proper insulation, but this is not the case with older homes. If your house was built before 1980, you should check your attic to see how much (or how little) insulation you have.
Ventilation
The next piece in the puzzle is ventilation. How the warm air moves in your attic can impact how it escapes to your roof. No matter how much insulation you have, there will always be some amount of heat loss. As such, you want the air to move up, out, and away from the roof rather than alongside it.
Waterproofing
Underneath the shingles of your roof is an underlayment—a water-resistant barrier between the shingles and the roof deck. By installing a waterproof underlayment, you can prevent water from seeping in under your shingled and getting into your home. While this won’t prevent ice dams, it will protect your home if ice dams eventually form.
To learn more about protecting your home and gutters from ice dams, read through our blog, or contact Bell Seamless Gutters today.
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