Ice Dams

Problem:

Icicles hanging along the eaves of your house may look beautiful, but they spell trouble. The conditions that allow icicles to form—snow-covered roofs and freezing weather—also lead to ice dams: thick ridges of solid ice that build up along the eaves. Dams can tear off gutters, loosen shingles, and cause water to back up and pour into your house.
Ice dams are caused by warm air escaping through air leaks from your home to your roof. The warm air melts the snow on your roof, which then drips down to the edge of the roof until it reaches the point just above the exterior wall and freezes again. As this process continues, this ice builds up until it begins to creep underneath shingles, melt once again, and drip into your home. This can cause up to tens of thousands of dollars in remediation costs — your roof may need to be replaced, drywall may need to be replaced and re-painted, mold may build up inside your walls, carpets and furniture can be damaged, and rotten wood may pose structural risks.

Solution:

Preventing ice dams not only saves your roof and gutter system, it improves the air quality and health of your home. Mold and mildew are often the aftermath of ice dams and water damage and can go undetected, eventually it can trigger asthma and other health problems. Water damage also can be incredibly costly with and unexpected repairs. Removing the snow from your roof, installing heated cables and deicing are short-term solutions. The way to prevent ice dams is to prevent the transmission of heat from your living space to your roof.

– Seal all air leaks and upgrade insulation to spray foam or blown in cellulose
– Flash around chimneys: bridge the gap between chimney and house framing with L-shaped steel flashing held in place with unbroken beads of a fire-stop sealant
– Caulk penetrations: seal around vent pipes with a fire-stop sealant; look for any spots where light shines up from below or the insulation is stained black by the dirt from passing air.
– Seal and insulate ducts
– Ventilate eaves and ridge

Our process begins with a home energy audit, which pinpoints deficiencies in your home’s thermal envelope by using an infrared scanner to identify air leaks and insufficient insulation; followed by air sealing and insulation improvements to ensure that your home will remain ice-dam-free for decades to come.

Ice dams are… well, damn annoying.

We’re here to help. Give us a call today!









Don’t let ice dams ruin your home. Contact Shakes To Shingles today!

Or, call us at 603-415-1115.

Customer Testimonials

We are happy with the weatherization work done at our house. It was great to work with Jason, he was very open to hearing our input and questions about our project, and he gave us a very knowledgeable and thorough… Read more “Betsy & Brian – Rindge NH”

Betsy & Brian – Rindge, NH

Both Allisen and I thank you so much for an awesome insulation job! The numbers came in fantastic for air exchange as well! Indicates a fine job done. Each and every member of your team showed tremendous respect to our… Read more “Allisen and Jeff – Newbury”

Allisen and Jeff – Newbury, NH

It was a pleasure working with you as well and thank you for providing the website to pass along to family & friends. I’ve mentioned it to quite a few. If you ever need a recommendation, please don’t hesitate to… Read more “Christina – Laconia NH”

Christina – Laconia, NH

We are more than happy to sing the praises for your entire crew from the office staff to out in the field employees. It is a rare to see a complex and an all-consuming job done with such untiring precision,… Read more “Maria and Paul – Andover NH”

Maria and Paul – Andover, NH

Dear Rich, Recently in a conversation we heard the name Shakes To Shingles. We hope we are correct in remembering that you provided an inspection of our home well over a decade ago. We very much appreciated you expertise, time,… Read more “Heather and Stewart – Concord NH”

Heather and Stewart – Concord, NH

We recently had a fuel delivery after the weatherization work. Usually during the winter our fill up would be 200 gallons. We just received the bill and the fill up was less than 100… Read more “Bev – Plainfield NH”

Bev – Plainfield, NH

We wanted to thank you for your professional services insulating our home which has already made a difference in our heating as well as electric consumption. We also wanted to acknowledge your employees. They were professional, respectful and effcient. It started with… Read more “Rob and Doris – Rochester NH”

Rob and Doris – Rochester, NH

We can feel a difference in the house. We could before your crew finished. We are very pleased with the work done and how professional your crew was. All of the guys were great. With our son on school vacation… Read more “Jesse and Barbara – Sunapee NH”

Jesse and Barbara – Sunapee, NH

Again, your crew did a great job. We have noticed a tremendous difference in the need for heat even with the somewhat warmer than normal temperatures. I am… Read more “Ed – New London NH”

Ed – New London, NH

Rich: Just wanted to take a moment to thank you for all of your efforts at our house in Bedford. You know the challenges we were facing, trying to coordinate roofing work, HVAC work, bathroom work, etc., and make sure… Read more “Bob – Bedford NH”

Bob – Bedford, NH

Rich, thank you for your efforts in my home. I feel confident in referring your… Read more “Nancy – Goffstown NH”

Nancy – Goffstown, NH

Hi Rich,  I just wanted to thank you and all of the workers for a great job. We appreciate all that you have done for us and I can’t imagine what a difference this will make in our home for… Read more “Agnes and Dan – Goffstown NH”

Agnes and Dan – Goffstown, NH

Thanks for sending the guys out this morning to finish up the job! – If you ever need any recommendations please let me know. … Read more “Jere – Durham NH”

Jere - Durham, NH
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