Minnesota Winters and Ice Dams

Okay. This IS Minnesota. Winters are cold, snowy, and icy. These are givens but large icicles growing from roof edges are never a good sign. They may be pretty but they indicate heat loss from the home that can create ice dams that can damage your home inside and out. When roofs do not have proper uniform insulation and ventilation, then warm air may escape causing accumulated snow on the roof to melt. This water flows down the roof until it meets colder surfaces, then freezes and forms an ice dam. As this process continues, it feeds the ice dam and can cause damage to areas of the house such as walls, ceiling, and insulation. Recommended actions include removing snow from the roof without damaging the roof or yourself and sealing points of air loss inside the house in the attic.

If you search for DIY suggestions online, you will find a number of suggestions. Reuben Saltzman discusses several he tried. He calls them ?hack? methods and for good reason?they include the use of an axe, an ice pick, pantyhose filled with salt, roof tablets, a pressure washer, heat cables, and a blowtorch. It is true that many of these methods broke up the ice dams or melted ice but not without serious consequences. They all were not safe and effective ways to approach this common winter problem. The bottom line to handling this problem is to call a professional.

To read Reuben Saltzman?s findings go to http://structuretech1.com/2013/02/how-to-remove-ice-dams/

For more information about ice dams go to www.extension.umn.edu/environment/housing-technology/moisture-managemen…

Photo Credit: Ice Dam Figure from http://extension.umn.edu