Icicles hanging off the roof may make your home look like it’s straight out of a winter wonderland backdrop but they are a sure sign of energy loss in your home. Icicles often form after the creation of ice dams on the roof. Ice dams are created when snow on the roof is melted by warm air heating up the underside of the roof and refreezing on the colder overhangs of the roof. So where does the warm air come from? Through the leaks in your ceiling allowing warm air in the home to escape. The weight of the growing ice dams can cause structural damage to the roof system, pull off gutters, and even rip off shingles. Chipping away at them is hazardous to anybody or anything below them and is not a permanent solution. You must fix it at the source to prevent ice dams from ever forming. The first step to a permanent fix is air sealing leaks in the ceiling like can lights and attic access panels. Once air sealing is complete, additional insulation can further reduce the risk of ice dams forming.
The house works as a system so any changes to it, like air sealing the ceiling leaks, can produce unintended consequences like poor indoor air quality, increase the risk of radon, and increase the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Utilize a home performance contractor to prevent these problems from ever happening and remember, a hole in your house is a hole in your wallet.
Contributed by Chase Counts
Commercial Services Director
