Rain Gutters Ice Dams

Lay the hose onto the roof so it crosses the ice dam and overhangs the gutter.

Rain gutters ice dams.

Those ice dams can cause some serious damage to your home. Gutters just allow the ice to crawl a bit further past the edge of your roof overhang. When it forms the water then backs up behind the ice dam and creates a pool of water. This in turn adds to the ice sickle or ice dam and will cause it to grow.

This in turn causes the water to sit in the gutters and with the onset of colder temperatures the water will then turn into ice and at that point you are in a world of hurt. While your gutters are designed to send water from your roof to the ground the ice dam keeps the water at the edge of the roof leading to leaks and rot. The calcium chloride will eventually melt through the snow and ice and create a channel for water to flow down into the gutters or off the roof. Water that freezes then creates a dam or dripping point that unfrozen water will naturally follow.

Ice dams can form in your gutters when rainwater or other precipitation backs up in your gutters and freezes due to cold temperatures in the winter late fall or early spring. Ice dams can form in your gutters when water is unable to leave the system due to blockages and other debris. In essence they extend the area of your overhang. Nonuniform roof surface temperatures lead to ice dams.

Why do ice dams form. In my experience gutters can result in larger thicker ice dams by creating a shelf and more depth to the overhang. Even if you have good insulation your roof gets a little warmer than the surrounding environment. Ask this old house general contractor tom silva explains the best ways to keep your roof and gutters free from those dreaded ice dams.

See below for a shopp. An accumulation of ice can also damage your gutters. For ice dams to form there must be snow on the roof and at the same time higher portions of the roof s outside surface must be above 32 degrees f freezing while lower surfaces are below 32f. If necessary use a long handled garden rake or hoe to push it into position.

An ice dam is a wall of ice that forms at the edge of the roof usually at the gutters or soffit. Heat loss from a house snow cover and outside temperatures interact to form ice dams. The more feet of overhang on your roof the greater the potential for big ice dams forming. This pool of water can leak into your home and cause damage to walls ceilings insulation and other areas.