How to Get Rid of Ice Dams
Here in West Newbury winters bring plenty of snow, that Merrimack Valley effect is no joke! With ...
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Here in West Newbury winters bring plenty of snow, that Merrimack Valley effect is no joke! With that comes a familiar problem for many local homeowners: ice dams and this year has been particularly bad, for sure! These startling ridges of ice along your roof edge aren’t just unsightly. They can lead to water seeping into walls, warped floors, damaged insulation, and costly repairs if they’re not handled properly.
Ice dams form during a freeze-thaw cycle driven by uneven roof temperatures. When heat from your heated home rises into an attic that’s under-insulated or poorly ventilated, the upper portion of your roof warms and melts snow. That meltwater runs down the roof until it reaches the colder eaves and freezes again. Over time that frozen edge builds up into a dam. Behind it, water can pool and seep under shingles, dripping into interior spaces.
This same mechanism applies whether your house has a vented roof or unvented roof. In vented roofs, soffit and ridge vents allow cold outside air to move through the attic, helping keep the roof’s underside cooler and reducing the amount of snow melt. When that ventilation is inadequate or blocked, warm spots develop and fuel the formation of ice dams. In unvented roof assemblies, the attic space is part of the conditioned envelope; this can work well if insulation is continuous and air leaks are sealed, but if heat still escapes into roof bays where there’s a temperature gradient toward the eaves, you can still see dams form.
Once an ice dam has formed, tackling it incorrectly can damage shingles and gutters. Here are effective strategies from my favorite reliable source, This Old House!:
The real key is prevention: control heat loss from your living space and manage snow before it becomes a problem.
For many West Newbury homeowners, understanding why ice dams happen and knowing how to address them either with DIY methods or professional help can protect homes from water damage and keep winter stress to a minimum.
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