What is an 'ice dam'? It's a ridge of ice that forms at the edge of a roof and prevents melting snow from draining off the roof. When water backs up behind the dam, it can leak into a home and cause damage to walls, ceilings, insulation, and other areas. With our winter weather here in Minnesota, this can be a problem for homeowners.
What should you do if you have an ice dam on your roof?
Take action:
-
For the short term, remove snow from your roof. A "roof rake" and push broom can be used to remove the snow. However, performing this work can be dangerous, so it's best left to the professionals.
-
Over the long term, increase your ceiling/roof insulation to cut down on heat loss (a primary culprit of ice dams). Make the ceiling air-tight so no warm air can flow from the house into the attic space.
-
Make sure gutters are free of leaves and other debris so that water can flow freely to the downspouts
For more information on ice dams, see this video from Travelers Insurance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8riZxntSQY
If you are able to connect a garden hose to a hot water source, that can be used to melt an ice dam that has formed on your roof. I did this myself a few winters ago, and it worked well:
If you cannot do this yourself, you can hire a contractor to remove the ice dam for you.
As always, please contact us at Rongstad Insurance Services for any questions you have regarding your homeowners insurance.