Icicles and ice dams may cause severe damage to your roof, gutters and interior of your home.

In the Twin Cities area, winter weather can put your roof through a beating. Wind, rain, ice and snow can be a relentless enemy to your roof and home exterior. However, those pretty icicles and benign-looking ice mounds — or ice dams — on the gutters and eaves are one of the most damaging issues of the winter season.

Ice dams are caused by temperature differences between the roof surface above attics, living spaces and the eaves of your home. The reason roofs have warm and cool spots is due to heat escaping the living spaces into the attic. If the attic is warmer than the temperature outside, the roof above the attic will be warmer than the eaves.

When the warmer section of the roof melts snow and ice, the water flows down to the cooler eaves and gutters where it re-freezes. This cycle often repeats itself again and again. Melting snow and ice reach the eaves and ice accumulates into “ice dams”. The result is potential damage to roofing materials, the gutters and water penetration into the attic, ceiling and walls of your home.

Preventing Ice Dams

The key to preventing ice dams is making sure you have proper ventilation and the recommended insulation in your attic.

If you notice ice accumulating on the edge of your roof its best to remove the snow after a snow fall. From the ground, use a snow rake and gently remove the snow 4 feet up from the gutters. Use caution not to scrape the roof shingles or pull on the gutter. By being proactive and removing the snow as it accumulates, you minimize the the chance of water melting and leaking up under your shingles.

This is when you should call the professionals at Younger Exteriors to safely remove the ice dam and exercise preventive measures.