Ice Dams and Ice Dam Prevention

Ice dams are a constant problem in London Ontario, especially in older homes in areas such as Old South, Oakridge, Old North and Woodfield. Most people see them in the form of icicles but the damage an ice damn can cause rangers a lot further up your roof than your fallen eves trough. Keep reading to learn more.

If you live in London Ontario and your home suffers from ice damns the first thing to check is your attic. Ice damns occur when your roof is above freezing. This occurs when the heat from your house escapes into your attic due to inadequate attic ventilation, inadequate attic insulation, improper venting of ceiling fans and kitchen vents as well as improper sealing of light fixtures and other ceiling fixtures. See the illustration below to see exactly how an ice damn works/ occurs.

As you can see this heat that is escaping from your home has no where to go but up. This heats up your roof and leads to snow melt. This melt then freezes and thaws and freezes and thaws in a cycle that eventually creates an ice dam. This ice damn is actually “floating” on a pillow of water which can eventually penetrate your roof, leading to a host of problems like mold and mildew growth and in some cases even damaged drywall and wood rot. Some of the worst cases McCallum Aluminum has seen involve ceiling and interior wall replacement.

So what can McCallum Aluminum do for you? We can properly vent your soffits! We want to keep your attic space nice and cool in order to keep your roof free from ice dams.

What can you do? In combination with venting your soffits we would also recommend looking into insulating your attic, properly venting your roof, making sure your kitchen and bathroom vents properly vent out of your attic and making sure to properly seal any ceiling fixtures and attic entry points/doors.

If your London Ontario Home suffers from Ice Dams give us a call at 519-433-4223 today! Serving London since 1957, McCallum Aluminum has seen it call and can help you sort out this pesky winter issue!