Ice Dams could form on your roof during the melt-thaw cycle. (File photo/ paNOW Staff)

By Cam Lee

Ice Dam Danger

Melting snow could lead to ice dams

Jan 24, 2020 | 3:00 PM

The warmer weather is certainly welcome, but there can be some challenges associated with it.

That includes the potential for ice dams on your roof.

Trent Fedorychka, associate financial advisor with Co-operators in Melfort, told northeastNOW ice damming begins when the snow on your roof starts to melt.

“As the snow melts it forms ice at the bottom, and…it runs down toward the gutters to your [eavestroughs],” Fedorychka said. “From there, it starts to build up as it freezes so it starts to create a little bit of a pocket, and with that pocket that it forms with the freezing and melting and freezing and melting, it just gets bigger.”

The ice dams can become incredibly expensive to a homeowner. The dams can grow to the point where ice and water can form under the shingles and cause damage to the attic. The water can also run down to the walls of the home.

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Ice dams can form during warm stretches in the winter, but Fedorychka said the most common time for them to form is closer to the spring.

“If you just take the first few feet…of snow off the roof so it has a chance, so the sun can beat on the shingles as the ice melts, and it can run to the eaves,” Fedorychka said. He added that it’s also important to clear valleys in the roof where the ice can melt and get in.

It is also recommended to keep away from your foundation as the snow starts to melt to help avoid seepage.

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cam.lee@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @camlee1974