As any homeowner who has lived in New England for a few winters knows, ice dams are one of the most irritating issues to deal with on your home. If you’re interested in learning how you can prevent ice dams from forming, take a look at our blog for more information!
Ventilate Your Attic Properly
One of the easiest ways to prevent your roof from getting ice dams is to properly ventilate your attic and ensure that it is a similar temperature to the outdoors. Ice dams are formed when the heat from your attic and home melts the snow on your roof, so if you improve the ventilation in your attic, you can cool the space down and stop the snow from melting, preventing ice dams before they have a chance to be created.
Insulate Your Home
Another way to reduce the heat in your attic is to ensure that your home is properly insulated. While you can improve the ventilation in your attic to reduce the heat coming from your roof, sometimes it is a better choice to focus on improving your home’s insulation. One reason your home’s roof may be warm enough to melt snow is that your home isn’t properly insulated which is allowing heat to escape out through the top of your ceiling and into your attic, where it melts the snow on your roof. If you’re trying to reduce the ice dams on your home, try improving the insulation in your home!
Ensure Your Attic Doesn’t Have Any Heat Sources
If you’ve improved your attic ventilation and improved the insulation in your home and you’re still finding that your home is accumulating large ice dams, it is possible that there is a source of heat coming from your attic.
One of the most common sources of heat in your attic is if you have any older recessed lighting installed in the ceiling below your attic. These lights can radiate a large amount of heat up into your attic. Other potential sources of heat include HVAC ducts, dryer vents, or kitchen & bathroom exhaust vents. If you find that after improving your attic ventilation and insulation that your home is still experiencing ice dams, check your attic for unexpected heat sources.
Contact Us Today
If you need to replace or repair your roof this winter, our team at Rhode Island Slate Roofing is ready to assist! Reach out to our team today by calling us at (401) 255-2003 or by filling out our team’s online contact form. We look forward to hearing from you and assisting with your home improvement needs!