Icicles in the winter time…they look pretty and magical hanging from your house, but once you learn what kind of damage they can cause, they start looking pesky and problematic.

Any kind of winter weather that allows for the formation of icicles creates the perfect conditions for the formation of an ice dam, a buildup of solid ice along your gutter line.

What kind of damage can they do?

-Tear off your gutters

-Loosen your roof’s shingles

-Create a water backup that could leak into your house (Think, peeling paint, saggy ceilings, deformed floors, and mold!)

Fortunately, our winter has been mild so far. But, we’ve still got a few months to go before we can say spring has sprung and who knows what kind of wicked weather those few months might bring.

Preventing ice dams is easy.

- Invest in CertainTeed’s Winter Guard Shingles, which are specifically designed to prevent winter damages, such as ice dams, and protect the most vulnerable parts of your roof.

- Protect your gutters with Rhino Gutter Guards, which will keep snow & debris from clogging your gutters. This helps eliminate the added weight a heavy snowfall can dump on your roof.

- Line the outskirts of your roof with heated cables, which help to equalize your roof’s pressure by heating it from the outside.

- Add insulation to your attic. This simple fix prevents ice buildup by stopping heat from drafting where it doesn’t belong.

REMEMBER: Never try to hammer away or throw salt on an ice dam. Both are bad for your roof and could also put you in danger from falling ice.

Filed under: News by DryHome
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