Fall in Minnesota is an experience like no other. The crisp air and changing leaves create a perfect backdrop to apple orchards, hayrides, and pumpkin patches. While the falling leaves are pretty to watch, they can also fill up your home’s gutters. If not cleaned out at the end of the season, those clogged gutters can be a contributing factor in the formation of roof damaging ice dams.
Ice Dams Explained
At the root of ice dam problems is your roof’s insulation and venting. When your home is not properly insulated or vented, your roof will warm from the heat of your home and begin to melt the snowpack sitting on your roof. The melted snow then starts to run down your roof until it meets the cold edge of your roof eaves where it can then start to refreeze. As this process happens over and over again during the coldest winter months, an ice dam will start to form.
At some point the ice dam will grow and begin to creep up your roof line trapping the melted snow. It’s at this point you may experience a leaking roof. Additionally, shingles can be damaged during this melt and freeze process because the ice can rub against your shingles them taking off some of the protective layer of granules.
Clogged gutters can make ice dam formation worse. Any melted water that could move off your roof and into the gutters can get trapped in full gutters and thus help to form ice dams.
What Can You Do Before Winter?
First and foremost, make sure your gutters are clear from fall debris. Additionally, if you’ve had ice dams form on your home in the past, have your roof inspected by a professional for any damage that may have occurred.
Whether you suspect damage from past ice dams or if your home has been in the path of a recent summer hail storm, the roofing experts at Robinson Construction can help. Give us a call today to learn more about our inspection and roof replacement service.