Preventing Ice Dams

If you have noticed ice dams forming on your rooftop or you simply want to prevent them, there are a few things that you can do, including:

• Close up your attic’s bypasses. Because most attics experience heat loss due to unblocked walls, gaps in the drywall or cracks, you can seal off these escape points. Also, fix any air leaks you find inside the attic by pulling back insulation and filling the gaps with foam.
• Add soffit and roof vents. These will draw in the colder outdoor air and flush out warm air, which helps maintain a constant roof temperature and prevents water from melting or refreezing on top of the roof.
• Install GUTTERSHUTTER. No ice dams, no gutter cleaning.

Never try to manually chip away or chisel at an ice dam that has formed. This is bad for your roofing material and dangerous for yourself. Throwing salt onto the ice can also damage your roof.