What is an Ice Dam?
Ice dams are a problem for homes and businesses located in cold climates like Minneapolis, St Paul, and Duluth Minnesota experience. Ice dams form on roofs when accumulated snow on a sloping roof melts and flows down the roof, under the insulating blanket of snow, until it reaches below freezing temperature air, typically at the eaves. When the melt water reaches the freezing air, ice accumulates, forming a dam, and snow that melts later cannot drain properly through the dam. The water from the melting snow then backs up behind the ice dam, working it's way behind roofing materials. The damage caused by these Ice dams may include damaged ceilings, walls, roof structure and ruined insulation. Damage or injury may also occur when an ice dam falls off the roof during melting or from attempts by the home or business owner to remove the ice dams.
What Causes Ice Dams on Roofs in Minnesota?
There is a complex interaction among the amount of heat loss from a house, snow cover, and outside temperatures that leads to ice dam formation. For Ice dams to form, there must be snow on the roof, and, at the same time, higher portions of the roof's outside surface must be above 32°F while the lower surfaces are below 32°F. For a portion of the roof to be below 32°F, outside temperatures must also be below 32°F. When we say temperatures above or below 32°F, we are talking about average temperature over sustained periods of time.
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