Break the Ice Dams Once and For All

Even though we’ve yet to be immersed in the depths of the season, it’s never too early to start thinking about the winter. As if Cincinnati residents don’t have enough to worry about throughout the winter, the issue of ice dams is becoming a phenomenon in Ohio homes. Ice dams can be very dangerous during the winter and contribute to both icicles on your roof and water damage in your walls. While the term may not be common knowledge across the board, it’s something that a great deal of today’s homeowners deal with yearly.

Ice Dams: Causes and Effects

To put it simply, an ice dam can be viewed as a ridge that forms at the very edge of your roof, which prevents snow and water from properly draining, similar to how a dam keeps a reservoir intact.

Ice dams generally form as a result of poor insulation and a lack of air-sealing, but there are other culprits that could be at play as well. Recessed incandescent lighting, for example, is notorious for contributing to the formation of ice dams. Generally, though, poor insulation will allow heat to travel to the roof sheathing, which melts snow and causes the formation of ice dams.

The goal in preventing ice dams and the damage they cause, then, is to keep heat from escaping through your attic and roof.

Keeping your home’s thermal envelope even will help to ensure ice dams don’t form, and the best route to take is to focus on insulation and air-sealing. Properly insulating a home means that snow on the roof will stay intact or naturally fall to the ground instead of turning to water (which, in turn, freezes and facilitates the formation of ice dams).

Some contractors provide the solution of outfitting roofs with electric coils, but while this may help to melt ice dams, it can lead to excessive electricity costs.

Why National for Insulation and Air-Sealing?

The experienced staff at National Heating and Air understands Cincinnati winters like no other and is adept at providing insulation and air-sealing solutions that help to break down the possibilities of ice dams forming. If you see icicles on your home’s exterior, there’s a good chance your home is a good candidate for having this type of work performed. A proud local business, we’ve got the right solution for your issues and are ready to prepare your home for the winter before exceedingly-cold temperatures begin to set in and ice dams start becoming a problem.

For more information on how we can help, contact National Heating and Air today.