Ice Dams On Roof Without Attic

Ice dams and icicles form when the snow melts runs down your roof and refreezes near the edge.

Ice dams on roof without attic.

The underside of the roof deck should not exceed 30 degrees f. Severe ice dams can weigh many hundreds of pounds compromising the structure of the roof eaves. Life of an ice dam. For ice dams to form there must be snow on the roof and at the same time higher portions of the roof s outside surface must be above 32 degrees f freezing while lower surfaces are below 32f.

Without a properly insulated attics however homeowners could find themselves with an ice. Ask this old house general contractor tom silva explains the best ways to keep your roof and gutters free from those dreaded ice dams. Never heat your roof. If replacing your home s roof have a self sealing membrane installed under the shingles to help prevent water damage from ice dams.

An ice dam is a mass of ice that gathers along the lower edge of rooflines. They occur in climates with cold winter temperatures and regular snowfall. Life of an ice dam. An ice dam can damage both your roof and the inside of your home.

Next snow melts on the warm roof and then freezes on the cold eaves. This scenario is often the result of a warm attic. Nonuniform roof surface temperatures lead to ice dams. See below for a shopp.

Here s a breakdown of the conditions that lead to the formation of ice dams. This only occurs when part of your roof warms to above 32 degrees f warm enough to melt the snow while the roof edge remains below freezing. It will put gutters and downspouts at risk too. Add insulation to your attic to help prevent your home s warm air from escaping into unheated attic spaces.

First heat collects in the attic and warms the roof except at the eaves. One way to help prevent heat build up and therefore ice dams is to have a well insulated well ventilated attic. An ice dam is a hump of ice that forms at the edge of a roof under certain wintertime conditions. More critically ice dams can cause meltwater to back up under the shingles where it can flow down and ruin ceiling and wall surfaces.

Meltwater from the warm roof backs up behind it flows under the shingles and into the house. The cold season brings snow packed roofs across the country and with snow melt can come damaging ice dams. Heat loss from a house snow cover and outside temperatures interact to form ice dams. Finally ice accumulates along the eaves forming a dam.

Keeping your roof and attic cold will prevent ice dams because the snow on the roof eventually dissipates without producing a large amount of meltwater.