How to Prevent Ice Damming on Your New Home

The temperature is rapidly dropping, and the Weather Network is predicting a lot of snow and a deep freeze for the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) later this week. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Canadian winter without a few big dumps of snow. We recently posted a few tips for dealing with and preparing for heavy snowfalls, featuring shoveling exercises and stretches, salt alternatives for de-icing, and proper ways to maintain a snowblower. Recently, Tarion Warranty Corporation created a video about ice damming, which we want to highlight for you today.

What is ice damming and what causes it?

You know when you see all those beautiful icicles hanging from your home? If there are a lot of them and they are quite large, then you have yourself a serious ice dam.

“An ice dam is created when rooftop snow melts and then freezes back up again around the edges or eavestrough,” explains the video below.

An ice dam can occur naturally on a perfectly built home, it all really depends on the weather. One moment it can be freezing, the next the sun is out, and then it’s freezing again. Since ice damming can occur on a home that is built properly, your new home warranty doesn’t cover any possible damage. That’s why it is crucial that you learn how to prevent it from happening. If you can prove that there is an Ontario Building Code violation or some other defect for which the builder is responsible, you can potentially apply your first or second year warranty.

What kind of damage does ice damming cause?  

Ice damming poses a risk for both the interior and exterior of your home. When an ice dam forms, it prevents other melted snow from draining off your roof. That pooling water can damage your roof and wood structure. The heavy ice can damage your eavestrough, the ice can fall and hurt you, a family member, or neighbour, and it can even lead to efflorescence on concrete or brick. Efflorescence is when there is a salt deposit on the surface of your home; when the water on the surface evaporates, it leaves white smears. The salt is unsightly and can be a sign of excess moisture, which can lead to further damage.

The interior of your home is also at risk. When the melted snow on your roof is dammed, it will pool and potentially leak through your roof causing damage to your ceiling, wall, insulation, furnishing, and even other belongings, depending on the severity of the leak.

Use a snow rake to prevent ice damming

How do I deal with ice damming?  

If ice damming is already occurring on your home, there are two things that you should NOT do. NEVER climb up on your roof to clear the snow and ice yourself. You may fall and hurt yourself or cause further damage to your roof. NEVER use salt or any other kind of de-icing product directly on your roof because it will damage the shingles.

The only thing you can do if there is already a serious ice dam is to hire a professional to remove the snow from your roof and clear the ice away in a safe manner. Hiring a professional makes way more sense than putting you and your home at risk by trying to do it yourself.

Of course, no one wants to spend money on home maintenance if they don’t have to, so preventing ice damming is the best way to deal with it. To prevent ice damming, you can purchase a large snow rake, and from the ground, you can pull snow near your eaves off the roof before an ice dam forms. Ensuring that your attic is properly insulated and there are no air leaks also go a long way in preventing ice damming damage. Another route that will involve spending some money is to hire a professional to install heated cables along the edge of your roof so it is impossible for ice to form.

Heated cable

Remember, we all live in a country with very distinct seasons, so there are many responsibilities that come with owning your own low-rise home. As this winter begins to get colder and more snow is forecasted, make sure your home is in good hands by watching the video below and refreshing yourself with other winter maintenance checklists.