Ice Damming

I was in a meeting this week with a builder and learned a great solution for ice damming.  If you don’t know what ice damming is, it’s when the snow piles up in your gutters often at a corner where two angles of your roof meet. The problem occurs when the melt freezes again and ice starts forming.  Eventually the moisture starts to wick up under the roof and into your home because the melt was not quick enough to be funneled to the downspout and away from your home.

So what can you do to prevent this potentially destructive situation? This is what the builder told me.  Take a pair of pantyhose and put water softener salt inside them. Prior to the snow falling, put your salty pantyhose in your gutter where damming can occur. This will help the snow/ice melt faster and keep it from creeping up under your roof.

After living in your home for a full year, you should know the trouble spots when it comes to snow on your roof.  So get you hose and salt ready, be careful on your ladder, and prepare for that next round of snow.