Winter Intruders: How Ice Dams Form, Advance, and Invade Your Home
In the winter more than ever, you rely on your home as a shelter from the harsh elements.
But without crucial seasonal maintenance, ice dams could have you facing more of the outside than you would like.
Without proper inspections, we can't always see what's growing behind our surfaces until the water damage, mold, and other issues are already underway.
You've probably seen these ridges of collected ice forming near the edge of your roof, and while homeowners rightfully worry about their size and weight, many don't realize the hidden damage they could be creating inside your walls and attic space.
When falling snow accumulates on your roof, it provides insulation while your attic and it's various features heat the ceiling and roof, melting the snow and sending it down to your gutters and roof's edge. No longer gathered directly above your heated top floor, the moisture refreezes, and continues to build up as more precipitation flows down your roof and gets caught by the ice dam.
With enough snowfall, this heavy ice will work its way back onto your roof and eventually underneath your materials, invading the interior of your home and risking corrosion of your insulation, framework, and more.
Weeks, sometimes months after the ice dams on your roof have melted, moisture deep in your walls starts to push its way out, peeling or blistering your paint and showing through to the surface what's been taking place all season.
Without proper inspections, we can't always see what's growing behind our surfaces until the water damage, mold, and other issues are already underway.
With sufficient preventative maintenance, including proper ventilation, insulation, and other crucial steps that preserve your home, you can defend against the deterioration that comes from ice dams left unchecked.