Isn't that ice so pretty hanging off my house? What you shoud know about ice damming in Ohio.

What a beautiful time of year, if of course you enjoy frigid weather and below freezing temperatures. If you are experiencing a large amount of ice freezing at the base of your roof and covering your gutters entirely you may want to be just the bit concerned. Roofs that have poor insulation and ventilation are more likely to suffer from ice damming problems because the attics will be hotter. A lack of insulation will allow a lot of heat loss from the house into the attic. If the vetilation is poor it will not allow the hot air to escape from the attic. The heat from the attic will melt the snow and will run down to the the base of the roof where the gutters are located and freeze creating the dam. Some of the problems that may occur are gutters being torn off water stains on walls or ceilings which can cause damage. Roof damage to the sheating or fascia boards. Do not attempt to take sharp objects to the ice you may cause damage to the shingles. There are ways to prevent ice damming. One is to check on the insulation and ventilation in your attic spaces ensuring there are no obstructions from soffit venting all the way up to ridge venting. Make sure attic space is insulated properly. There is also something they call Heating Cables. These cables can be attached to the base of the roof surface in a zig zag pattern that will create enough heat to prevent ice build up. The thing with these are to make sure they are turned on before the snow falls. If you have any questions on this topic please feel free to contact us anytime. We may be able to save you alot of money and headaches in the future.

Best regards,
Master Home Inspector serving Lancaster, Logan, Circleville, Carroll, Columbus and the State of Ohio.
Phillips Inspection Services
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