Ice Dams and You.

Unwanted icicles hanging from the roof are a warning sign of ice dams, which can inflict considerable interior and exterior damage to your home.

WHAT IS AN ICE DAM?

An ice dam is a ridge of ice that builds up along the edge of a roof. To recognize an ice dam, look for a bulge of ice attatched to the eaves or overhang of a roof. There may be icicles hanging off the edge and you may see stains on the siding. The rain gutters may also be overflowing with ice.

The bulge of ice is usually covered with several inches of snow, so you may not see it. Under this build up of frozen snow is the melting snow and ice. If interior damage has already occurred, you will see wet spots on the ceiling or walls or you will see water flowing into the windows.

DAMAGE

Beneath the ice dam, the wood framing is getting wet and possibly rotting. Insulation is becoming soaked, which makes it inefficient. Mildew and mold are growing in hidden spots, causing odors and other problems in your house

Soaked framing and insulation takes a long time to dry out. During that time it will be contributing to wall damage and moisture problems. If left uncorrected, this water can cause serious structural damage.

WHAT CAUSES ICE DAMMING?

Ice dam problems begin when snow accumulates on a roof. Typically, deeper snow and colder temperatures increase the formation of ice dams. Winds from the north or north west usually accompany snowfalls, so more snow is deposited on north and west roof planes. Structures on your roof that trap snow and increase it's depth further increasing the problem areas.

Once snow accumulates on your roof, it acts as insulation. The heat in your attic will cause the underside of your roof to become warm. This in turn melts the snow into a slush/ice/water mixture. This mixture slides under the snow cover and runs down the roof until it meets a colder surface at the overhang. Here is where it refreezes. As more and more slush slides down, the frozen layer gets thicker and thicker.

Unfortunately, you won't notice this because it all takes place under the snow.

Once the ice dam is high enough to overcome the pitch of your roof, water seeps under the asphalt shingles. Once this water penetrates the shingles, it flows under the siding and eaves and leaks through the framing into your home.

WHAT TO DO WHEN THEY OCCUR

If ice dams have already developed on your house, you may be able to wait it out until spring to fix the insulation and ventilation issues your house is having. This is all supposing the water damage isn't significant. You may be able to reach the damaged areas through the attic and catch some of the water. You may also even punch small or large holes in the drywall or plaster to drain the water. This will limit the damage in some cases.

In sever water damage cases, it is possible to chip away the offending ice down to the roof deck to allow it to drain. BE CAREFUL, because removing snow and ice from a pitched roof is dangerous and can cause damage to your asphalt shingles.

Melting the ice with chemicals is an option in emergency situations. Do not however use rock salt.

PROCEED WITH CAUTION

If you have any questions, please consult a professional. If this situation is handled improperly, you can not only create a larger problem for yourself, but you open yourself up to fire hazards. As well, proper ventilation can be tricky to achieve. Attics are not friendly places, and any miscalculated steps could lead to falling through the ceiling.

Roofing in the Winter? You guys do roofs this time of year?

Most people do not think that you can install roofs during the winter months. Actually, the truth is, you can install roofing all year. I believe why people think that way is because of the way the asphalt shingles were made before the 1970's. Those shingles were called organic shingles, which had a saturated asphalt paper type matting. The matting is a substrate covered with asphalt, and then with stone dust and small colored rock granules.

Today's asphalt shingle are made with fiberglass matting which is saturated with asphalt, and the colored stone granules that are pressed into the asphalt. This fiberglass matting is much more plyable, and gives the shingle more flexibility and tensile strength. The most important part of installing the shingle is nail placement, and angle of the nail. We use 4 nails per shingle, which help hold the shingles down during heavy winds. Underlayment should always be used under the shingles as a vapor barrier. There are many different types of underlayments, which include Ice & water shield, tar paper, and synthetic.

Laminated shingles are glued together with asphalt, and the weight of the shingle determines the life expectancy. This is determined by the amount of asphalt, and colored stone granules, that gets pressed into the fiberglass matting.

To get back to installing roofing during the winter months, our installers really like installing roofs during the colder months, because they really take a beating from the heat during the summer months. Some of our veteran roofing technicians, would rather install roofing during the winter. Remember you do not have to wait until summer to get your roof installed. If you are having any problems give us a call, and we would be glad to come over and see what we can do to help.

Stone Age? Not Here...

Our work is hands on, in the field, construction. That doesn't mean that we're all brawn and no brain.

We're working to make information available to you that makes your decision making process easier.

How do you choose a reputable roofer? What should you look for in your estimates? What professional organizations must your roofer be part of? What sort of time frame can I expect for completion (if everything goes perfectly according to plan, that is)?

Keep an eye out, here and on facebook and twitter, to hear more about what we have to say!

Is Solar Paint in Your Future?

Researchers have figured out how to turn solar cells into a liquid. Really. They've figured out how to make solar cells small enough that they can be suspended in liquid such as ink or paint and printed or painted onto surfaces.

Right now, that means that they can create solar panels that are a lot more flexible than the current ones. But it's possible that in the future, we'll be able to paint your roof with solar paint and supply your whole home with electricity.

The thing the scientists haven't figured out yet is how to get the electricity off of the roof and into the building once the energy is collected in the solar cells.

Your choice of roofing already has an effect on your energy use. We may not be able to provide you with magic solar roofing yet, but we'll be happy to talk with you about how to keep your home cooler this summer.