Ice damming could be causing very serious damage to your home in Central Ohio.

What a beautiful time of year, if of course you enjoy frigid weather and below freezing temperatures. If you are experiencing a large amount of ice freezing at the base of your roof and covering your gutters entirely you may want to be just the bit concerned.

Roofs that have poor insulation and ventilation are more likely to suffer from ice damming problems because the attic space will be hotter due to the lack of attic insulation. A lack of insulation will allow a lot of heat loss from the house into the attic. The heat from the attic will melt the snow and will run down to the the base of the roof where the gutters are located where the temperature is below freezing thus creating the dam.

Some of the problems that may occur are gutters being torn off water stains on walls or ceilings when ice begins to melt which can cause damage to interior components. There can also be roof damage to the sheathing or fascia boards. Do not attempt to take sharp objects to the ice you may cause damage to the shingles.

There are ways to prevent ice damming. One is to check on the insulation and ventilation in your attic spaces ensuring there are no obstructions from soffit venting all the way up to ridge venting. Make sure attic space is insulated properly. This will keep a cool attic temperature which will prevent excessive melt off.

There is also something they call Heating Cables. These cables can be attached to the base of the roof surface in a zig zag pattern that will create enough heat to prevent ice build up. The thing with these are to make sure they are turned on before the snow falls. These cables are very low voltage and will not be able to work if they are already covered in ice.

If you have any questions on this topic please feel free to contact us anytime. Let us perform a complete attic evaluation. We may be able to save you a lot of money and headaches in the future.

Best regards,

Master Home Inspector serving Lancaster, Logan, Circleville, Carroll, Columbus and the State of Ohio.

Phillips Inspection Services

www.phillipsinspectionservices.com