Here at Alloy Gutter we get many calls during the winter regarding Ice Dams. What is an ice damn? An ice dam is a ridge of ice that forms at the edge of a roof and prevents melting snow (water) from draining off the roof. The water that backs up behind the dam can leak into a home and cause damage to walls, ceilings, insulation, and other areas. Ice dams form when melting snow on a roof runs off and refreezes at the edge of a roof. This happens because of poor roof insulation. Ice dams do not mean there is something wrong with your gutters or that your gutters are leaking.
The most common area of an ice dam is your eaves. This occurs because of the condition stated above.
The corners of your gutters (Miters) are also a very common area for an ice dam to form. We here at Alloy Gutter Company get many calls stating that their gutters are leaking at the corners, however the gutters are fine, it’s the water finding the lowest location to drain and the water is running over the frozen gutter causing the dam and homeowners to think that the gutters are leaking.
If you are experiencing ice dams on a regular basis there are some things you can do to prevent them. You can give Alloy Gutter and get your roof raked. You could also purchase heat tape and have us install that for you. Before you give us a call to install the heat tape make sure you have a licensed electrician install a plug for the heat to connect to.