The season of snow, ice and harsh weather conditions is upon us, and it’s important to make sure your home is prepared before it’s hit by severe winter storms that can cause damage. In particular, it’s crucial to take the appropriate steps to prevent – or at least reduce – the formation of ice dams on your roof.
An ice dam is a ridge of ice that can form at the edge of the roof. When this occurs, any water from melting snow and ice will become dammed up behind it. As a result, the water will back up onto your roof, where it can leak under the shingles and into your home, causing damage to ceilings, walls, insulation and more.
The Best Ways to Prevent Ice Dams
Gutter Helmet knows how to reduce ice damming on your roof. We’ve listed four of the most helpful tips below:
- Make sure your attic has the proper amount of insulation. If necessary, you can have a qualified contractor blow more insulation into your attic. This will prevent warm, moist air from the interior from flowing into your attic and heating up your roof. As a result, your roof will be able to maintain a more uniform temperature.
- Insulate your air ducts. To reduce air leaks and remove hot and cold spots within your home, it’s essential to seal and insulate your ducts. Doing so will also help prevent ice dams.
- Install a Gutter Helmet® gutter protection system. Our Gutter Helmet gutter protection system will help keep your gutters clear of debris, thus eliminating gutter clogs and, in turn, preventing ice dams from forming. The ribbed surface of our gutter guards creates surface tension that allows water to flow into the gutters through the tiny slits along the gutter guards, while at the same time keeping out all types of debris. This prevents blockages that will cause water to build up in the gutters, where it can then freeze and create ice dams.
- Add a Helmet Heat® heated gutter system. Helmet Heat is a self-regulating heating cable that keeps ice and snow from building up around the edges of your roof, reducing the formation of ice dams and preventing the associated damage they cause.
Protect Your Investments With Helmet Heat®
By taking the appropriate measures to stop the formation of damaging ice dams, such as installing heated gutter covers, you’ll be protecting some of your most important investments. To find out more about how Gutter Helmet and the Helmet Heat ice reduction system can benefit your home, contact us by calling (800) 824-3772 or submitting our online form.
