How To Stop Ice Buildup On Roof

How can you prevent ice dams in your gutter and on your roof.

How to stop ice buildup on roof.

Snow trap roof snow rake. Damage to your home s roof from excess snow and ice buildup can ruin your winter season even if you ve winterized your home an ice dam may still form on the edges of your roof and it can be a nightmare waiting to happen. Snow melts on the warm roof and then freezes on the cold eaves. This happens when ice backs up in your gutters and onto your roof causing water to back up behind the ice.

This only occurs when part of your roof warms to above 32 degrees f warm enough to melt the snow while the roof edge remains below freezing. Ice dams and icicles form when the snow melts runs down your roof and refreezes near the edge. Meltwater from the warm roof backs up behind it flows under the shingles and into the house. This scenario is often the result of a warm attic.

Removing the snow off your roof before it melts and freezes along the eaves will minimize the effect of ice dams. On a winter s day the last thing you want to worry about is roof damage. Ice accumulates along the eaves forming a dam. Calcium chloride found at most hardware stores is often used to prevent ice build up on concrete.

However when ice builds up in your gutters it can lead to water damage issues on your roof. Stop ice dams with a cold roof. Hacking away at ice dams with a hammer chisel or shovel is bad for your roofing and dangerous for you. The trick here is to get rid of as much snow as you can without causing any damage to shingles.

Ice dams can form slowly and unexpectedly unless you know what to look for. Another option is to spray the ice with warm water to melt a drainage channel into it. Preventing and removing ice dams is critical.