Badges Properties LLC Fix-It Brothers

How To Control Ice Damming

A roof full of snow can lead to ice damming. Many factors lead to ice damming and one of the major cause is lack of insulation and ventilation. You ask how does venting effect snow on the roof? The air in the attic does not flow through the attic area effectively, heating the roof sheathing and the snow above it melts to quickly. This hits the gutter system and then builds ice dams. Some people feel safe because when they had their last roof installed they had ice and dam shield installed. This can give a great since of security but, it does not protect the gutter system.

The ice and dam goes up about four feet from the gutter line. This is usually high enough so the melting snow does not back up under the roof and get into the wall and cause interior water damage and problems associated with water in the houses walls. So, it helps against water damage, it does not control the ice damming problem. This is a part of a series of things that can help with ice damming and prevention of ice damming.

The addition of roof vents and eve vents to help the flow of the air in the attic. When the air flows through the roof freely it is harder for it to warm and cause the snow to melt above to melt to quickly. The addition of insulation goes along with the ventilation. The added layers of insulation control the loss of heat from below to the attic area. These two things help to control ice damming from happening the most.

There is the addition of roof heating wires which can be used to keep the ice from forming and allows the water to flow off the roof and flowing through the gutter system.

Once the ice damming has happened and the roof is so covered in snow the only alternatives are physical removal of snow and or the application of chemical agents to melt the snow and ice. The use of both could be needed in some cases. The chemical agents available can do the job alone if the ice damming is not that severe.

The most important fact about all of this is to stay safe. When doing things yourself, you need to use care. The use of a contractor to handle this type of problem can be the best idea. There are a number of contractors that will help people with ice and snow removal. If in the greater Milwaukee area in Wisconsin, a company by the name of Badges Properties LLC may be able to help you with your homes needs. They offer many services and seem to help with all of the home improvement and repair/handyman needs. They can be found in the online yellow pages. They even help large apartment or condo complexes with external and internal needs.

Remember, Safety First.