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What you don't know about icicles might hurt your home

ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS:

Hanging icicles could be an ominous sign.

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Icicles hanging from your eaves troughs may look harmless but they could be a sign of ice-damming. Ice-damming usually occurs when there is a significant build up of snow on the roof and the outside temperature hovers around freezing. If the attic temperature is above freezing, it will warm the roof sheathing, which in turn melts the snow lying on the shingles. Water then runs down the roof until it meets the roof overhang, which is not warmed by the attic and is the temperature of the surrounding air. If the air and the overhang are below freezing, the water freezes and forms an ice dam, which then causes water to form a small pool which may back up under the edges of the shingles and leak through the roof into the walls and ceilings below.

To solve your ice-damming problem, you must first determine how heat is entering your attic. With the help of a roofing specialist, such as Direct Energy, there are a number of ways to help avoid or solve, ice-damming:

Improve attic ventilation by checking soffit vents and roof vents to ensure you have adequate ventilation. Many homes designed and built in the 1950s were constructed without soffit vents and not enough roof vents. Since heat rises, the optimal location for vents is at the peak with either conventional roof, gable or ridge vents. All these types will let heat exit quickly and efficiently.

Check for air leaks into the attic; typically warm air from the home rises and leaks from areas like ceiling fans, light fixtures and the attic hatch.

Make sure your attic (and attic hatch) is properly insulated to lower your energy costs and keep the attic space cool in the winter.

For more information on ice-damming, visit www.directenergy.com.