Winter will be here before you know it and that means you need to be prepared for snow and ice and the potentially damaging effects it can have on your residential home.
While the visual effects of an ice dam are undeniably beautiful, the physical effects to your roofing system can be extremely damaging to a roof, gutters, paint, drywall, and your underlying framing structure. This damage can also eventually lead to the growth of dangerous molds.
How An Ice Dam Forms
During the colder months of the year, warm heat from your home rises up into your attic space heating up the roof decking and rooftop shingles above. This WARM rooftop surface melts any accumulated snow and ice resulting in water running down the roof. But this water doesn't merely run all the way off the roof like rain water in warmer months. During these colder months, once the water reaches the lowest part of the roof that extends beyond the warm attic space, the water freezes because this section of roof is cold.
As more and more snow melts near the top of the warmer roof, more water runs down to the ice dam making it larger and more damaging to the stability of your roof structure. This ice dam can also cause water to collect and build up which then can seep through roof materials causing water damage and mold.
Radiant Barrier Reduces Ice Damming
By installing a RadiantGUARD® radiant barrier to the underside of the roof rafter, any heat within the attic space is reflected back down into the attic/home keeping the roof above the attic space COLD. With a cold roof, you reduce the chance of snow and ice melting creating water runoff, thereby reducing the risk of the formation of damaging ice dams.
Additional benefits of installing a radiant barrier in your attic space include a warmer house during colder months, a cooler house during warmer months (our radiant barrier blocks 97% of the radiant heat from the sun from entering you attic space), and lower monthly utility bills year-round.
Leave a comment (all fields required)