The frost is formed by warm moist air leaking into the cold attic space.
Ice on roof leaking into house.
In a house with a cold roof icicles are less than a few inches long and are harmless.
Apply calcium chloride or another ice melting product onto the ice.
If your roof is flat or has a low slope use a roof rake to sweep off the snow.
Ice accumulates along the eaves forming a dam.
The cold air will freeze the water.
This targeted dose of cold air will freeze the water in its tracks.
An ice dam is a ridge of ice that forms at the edge of a roof and prevents melting snow water from draining off the roof.
You ll stop the leak in a matter of minutes says toh general contractor tom silva.
Frost and ice can build up on the underside of the roof sheathing or in wall and roof cavities.
Heat collects in the attic and warms the roof except at the eaves.
Old matted insulation results in heat loss through the roof and that causes icicles along the eaves.
Place a box fan in the attic and direct it at the underside of the roof where water is leaking in.
Icicles don t back up water into the house like ice dams but they re often indicators of problems in the attic.
In companion articles of this ice dam leak article series we point out that air and heat losses into the roof cavity or attic are underlying causes of ice dam formation on roof eaves and in the gutter system.
Snow melts on the warm roof and then freezes on the cold eaves.
For more advice from tom see how to prevent ice dams.
We have found that the only way to cure an ice dam and prevent one in the first place is to.
Take a box fan into the attic and aim it at the underside of the roof where water is actively leaking in.
When gutters fill with water and freeze they cause the ice to build up and roll over the edge.
Insulate the living space well enough to prevent conduction and convection of heat.
Bathing cooking laundry and body heat all contribute to the moisture in the air.
The water that backs up behind the dam can leak into a home and cause damage to walls ceilings insulation and other areas.
Melting water backing up behind that dam of ice leaks into the building walls attics and other areas.
Poor attic ventilation can also create melting and freezing cycles on top of the house.