CAI-NJ Feb 2022

WINTER WORRIES: All About Ice Damming By Mitch Frumkin, RS and Joely Phenes Kipcon, Inc.

P icture this: it’s the first snowfall of the season. You wake up in a winter wonderland, your community covered in a layer of snow. While the snow may look pretty, it is your roof’s greatest threat this season. If the weather gets cold enough, that soft white blanket covering your sloped roof is likely to turn into an ice dam. The term ice dam describes the condition where a mass of ice blocks water from running off a roof. It starts with a roof covered in snow during an extended period where the outside temperature is below freezing. A buildup of heat in the attic causes the snow to melt and flow down the roof to the gutter where it freezes again. The melting of the snow at the top of the roof continues while the ice dam at the bottom gets larger and larger, backing up onto the roof. The home itself is the source of heat in the attics. Heat from the home rises and enters the attic from several places including openings in the insulation, attic access hatches

(which in many cases are not insulated) and recessed lights. While the dryer and bathroom vents are vented to the outside, the ducts carrying the warm air can still give off heat. In addition, the ventilation in the attics may be blocked preventing warm air from escaping through ridge vents at the peak of the roof. The concept behind a shingled roof is that water flows downward into the gutters. Shingled roofs are not designed to stop water that moves upwards. When ice dams occur, the ice that forms at the cold gutter builds and extends up the roof. The ice ends up under the shingles where it can create leaks into the home below. While ice damming is the most common winter roofing problem, there are other locations on the roof where mois- ture can also infiltrate the homes, such as at chimneys, valleys, and step-up walls between units. Any place where the snow can sit for an extended period.

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