February 4, 2015
Each winter when the cold weather rolls in, so too do a variety of headaches for residents of Monmouth and Ocean County communities. Many people don’t even realize that their homes are affected by ice dams, which are essentially ridges that form at the edge of a roof and prevent snow from properly melting and draining. Ice dams can cause plenty of issues, including as damage to walls, insulations and ceilings.
How can you keep this nasty weather issue from becoming a problem for your home? The first step is to gain an understanding of how they form in the first place.
Ice Dams: Causes
As one might expect, ice dams don’t typically form without an underlying cause. More often than not, ice dams occur when there are leaky spots near the roof of a home. Attic leakage is a common issue for homeowners and often goes undetected, but when ice dams begin to form, you know you’ve got a problem on your hands.
Another root cause for ice dams is insulation problems. If pipes near a roof aren’t properly insulated, for example, they can emit a lot of heat, causing excessive snowmelt to occur. This result is the formation of ice and, thus, ice dams. This is another issue that often goes overlooked by homeowners, yet the impact it can have on the formation of ice dams is undeniable.
Solving the Jersey Ice Dam Problem
When working towards solving issues associated with ice dams, there are a variety of effective routes to take. Consider the following, all of which can help to prevent the formation of ice dams and keep your home safe from water damage —
- Air Sealing — Air sealing is essential to fixing leaky attics, which serves as one of the main reasons why ice dams form in the first place. Most homes could benefit from air sealing, even if the homeowner doesn’t realize it at first.
- Insulation — If a home is properly insulated, the chances that ice dams might occur can only fall. This being said, issues regarding insulation are not uncommon, and many homeowners are shocked to find that they’re living in poorly-insulated structures upon inspection.
- Heating System Tune-up — A heating system needs to function properly to ensure that ice dams don’t become a problem. If you haven’t had your heating system tuned-up in quite a while, there’s no better time than now to get the wheels into motion.
While all of the above services can help to prevent ice dams from affecting your home, the first step is to conduct a home energy audit. Tom Rostron Company can help to determine exactly what is keeping your home from reaching peak performance and causing ice dams to recur, and we’ll put together a plan to ensure that you don’t have to deal with these problems any longer.
Don’t let ice dams damage your home this winter. Contact Tom Rostron Company today to learn more about conducting a home energy audit.
