Minnesota is a winter wonderland at the moment. With snow to come and snow already on the ground, the list for homeowners to do is never ending. On top of shoveling, salting and warming up the car constantly another unwanted visitor could take place on your roof, an ice dam. If you notice a solid mass of ice forming along top your gutters or that you have multiple icicles forming rapidly on your eaves, it is time to call the professionals! Tollefson Bros Exteriors, Inc has been serving the metro area for 25 years and can remove and help prevent your problem.
How Ice Dams Form
An ice dam is a product of snow, heat and cold. As snow falls, it lands on a structure and stays there until the snow is removed or can fully melt off. If the structure is not properly insulated heat escapes from the living area to the attic, reaches the roof and melts the snow at the top. The melting snow makes its way down the roof until the heat of the roof decrease, usually at the overhangs and then it refreezes.
Damage
Ice dams are usually not dealt with until major damage has already been inflicted on a home. Ice Dams can cause water damage, roof leaks, mold; they can even pull off gutters and soffits if no action is taken when noticed. This winter problem will affect your energy bills and not in a good way. The worst part is all of these damages are easily avoidable.
Preventing Ice Dams
Ice dam prevention is a lot easier than ice dam removal. If your attic is maintained properly an ice dam will not occur. Make sure your entire roof, including the overhang, is the exact same temperature. Tollefson Bros Exteriors, Inc can come out and inspect that there is enough insulation and look to see if the attic has proper ventilation. Both of these are factors in the temperature of an attic and both contribute to ice dam problems.
When to call Professionals
When you see your roof full of ice, don’t break your back spending hours in the freezing cold on a ladder, don’t go to your local hardware store and pick up equipment that might slowly eat away at your ice dam, all that time hoping you won’t damage your roof. Resolve the problem the safest, quickest and most effective way out there, call a professional. They have all the proper tools and this is not there first ice dam removal experience. Stay safe and warm while they take your problems away.
Call Tollefson Bros Exteriors, Inc today at 952-881-2218 for a free estimate!