What are ice dams?
With winters like those we experience in the GTA, ice dams are a common problem. Ice dams are build-ups of ice on the base, eaves and other areas on your roof.
Ice dams form where heat from the inside of a home escapes into the attic and warms the roof deck (the boards or ply beneath your shingles). This heat (combined with the natural heat from the sun), can melt snow on your roof, which then melts at the upper roof and in the valleys, then runs down towards the eaves as water. When it reaches the cold eaves and gutters, it re-freezes.
This continual thawing and re-freezing process creates ice dams.
What problems do ice dams cause?
The results of ice dams can be disastrous.
Water back up under the roof shingles or behind the fascia boards can soak through the roof decking or sheathing, damaging your attic, insulation, inside ceiling, walls – and even the valuables inside your home.
