Southernwood Roofing and Siding

Prevent Ice Damming—And Harmful Leaks

Feb 01, 2014

With multiple winter blasts this year, we have been dealing with one of the worst issues associated with winter, ICE DAMMING. We want to take a moment to explore what ice damming is and how it occurs—what you read could prevent harmful leaks inside your home this winter. An ice dam is formed when rising heat from the house melts the blanket of snow and ice on your roof from the bottom up, sending water trickling down the roof. When that water hits the cold eaves, it refreezes and forms a dam, preventing proper drainage.

As the process of melting and refreezing continues, water gets trapped behind the dam and backs up under the shingles. Eventually, that water can leak into your house thorugh windows or the ceiling.

How to Prevent Ice Damming Before It Occurs

  1. Use an ice and water-shield membrane when installing any new roof. This will protect the first 3′ of the roof line at the eves from water backing up as shown in the picture and this should also be run in the valleys where snow can sit. (Ask you builder for this if you are building a new home, it is a minimal cost but not always standard)
  2. Seal off penetrations to the attic from the living space below around heating supply vents, recessed cans, ceiling fans etc… to keep the warm in the home and out of the attic.
  3. Insure you have proper attic insulation. Today’s building code requires a minimum of an R-38 or 10″.

These simple things will cost you less than the damage and frustration caused by ice damming.

What Our Customers Have to Say
Recent Customer Reviews
Southernwood Roofing and Siding
★★★★★
Team was patient and well organized in helping us get a hail damage claim completely covered and new roof/gutters installed. Special shout out to Chris for his attention to detail with the quote as well as maintaining a clean work site.
Happy Customer
La Plata, MD
★★★★★
Southernwood is the best when it comes to roofing and windows. I had 3 new windows installed on my house just as a test to see how they performed. I'm now going to have the rest of the house done. Don't bother shopping around, Southernwood goes the extra mile.
Michael
La Plata, MD
★★★★★
My wife and I are extremely pleased with our new roof. This is our weekend home so Southernwood handled the project, start to finish, while we were not there and did a great job. Very honest folks.
Wayne
La Plata, MD
★★★★★
Ralph and Southernwood Roofing LLC was exceptional. There wasn’t a question that I could ask that one of them couldn’t answer. The roof, siding, windows, garage door all was done with precision. Definitely will recommend this company.
Cheryl
La Plata, MD
★★★★★
I love the new roof. Great value compared against 5 other local companies. Ralph was very responsive getting the quote, selecting shingles and getting the work done. I would definitely recommend Southernwood
Karl
La Plata, MD
Southerwood Roofing and Siding
4.89
Rating
Based on 300+ Customer Reviews
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