Ice Dam Protection and Prevention Tips for your West Kirkwood/Sunset Hills Home

1/10/2018 (Permalink)

This photo shows you what causes ice dams.

What are Ice Dams?? You know those beautiful icicles hanging down from your gutter after it rains or snows? Well those beautiful things are formed from the ice dams! Ice-dam situations have two things in common: They happen because melting snow pools behind dams of ice at the roof’s edge and leaks into the house; also, ice dams and the damage that results from them is avoidable. Three things are required for an ice dam to form: snow, heat to melt the snow and cold to refreeze the melted snow into solid ice. Ice damn can happen with as little as one inch of snow on your home or business’ roof! Water runs down the roof slope under the blanket of snow and refreezes into a band of ice at the roof’s edge creating a “dam”.

So how can you prevent your Kirkwood and Sunset hills home from getting Ice Dams and the damage that comes along with them! Having proper insulation and roof ventilation is the key to an ice dam free house!

Water-stained ceilings, dislodged roof shingles, sagging ice-filled gutters, peeling paint, and damaged plaster are all easily recognized and usually repaired when weather or budgets permit. But other damage is not as obvious and often goes unchecked. The more heat lost – the more ice dams form – the more it leaks – the more the insulation gets damaged – and so on and so forth.

If you have ice dam damage and need help restoring your home or business give SERVPRO West Kirkwood and Sunset Hills a call at 314-858-1688 and well make it “Like it never even happened.”