If you have heard information on the television or read about the problems caused by ice dams in your local paper you are probably hearing from the Ice Dam Guys in MN. These professionals have years of experience in coming out to houses that are leaking because of ice dams or those that simply have an ice buildup that is causing the potential for a leak.
The good news is that the Ice Dam Guys in MN aren’t just about responding one a crisis occurs and they are also able to provide you with information about why this problem may be happening at your home. This allows you to proactively address the issue before the cold weather arrives to help to prevent further problems.
Understanding Ice Dams
According to the Ice Dam Guys in MN, and to experts at the University of Minnesota, an ice dam is usually caused by heat loss from the roof of the home. This heat loss, through the roof deck and shingles, allows snow to accumulate at the lower sides of the roof while the upper roof area, near the ridge and sides, gets warm.
The snow melts at the upper areas of the roof and then runs down the roof and hits that cold snow, freezing and adding to the barrier. As this continues the ice dam gets more substantial and heavier. The dam also creeps up the roof until it reaches a point where the roof stays at or above the 32 degrees needed to freeze.
As the Ice Dam Guys in MN will tell you this slushy yet liquid pool of water then spreads along the roof and backs up under the shingles, getting into your attic and creating leaks. As temperatures get cold that water that is trapped under the shingles freezes and expands, opening up more areas for leaks.
What to Do
The Ice Dam Guys in MN are there to immediately solve the problem which is to use heat, in the form of low pressure steam, to safely melt the ice dam and allow the water for flow down and off the roof.
Unless this is a very unusual issue the Ice Dam Guys in MN often recommend that you work with your general contractor or an insulation and roofing company to help prevent heat loss that is melting the snow on the top area of the roof.
Find out the main causes of roof ice problems from Roof To Deck restoration, the Ice dam removal experts in MN.
