Ice Damning leading to Water Damage
Ice damning can be one of the major problems that you will encounter at your property this winter season. If ice damning is severe enough, it can cause water to enter your property causing damages to the inside materials and your possessions.
There are several things that you can perform if this kind of scenario happens to you, especially when heavy snow starts building on your roof. But first, you have to understand when and why ice damning occurs on your roof. In this article, you will understand the process on how ice dams are created and how Canada's Restoration Services Toronto can help you fix this problem.
What is Ice Damning?
The ice build-up that happens on your roof is also known as Ice Damning. When this forms, it prevents the melting snow from properly draining off the roof and can lead into your home or property. A sign of ice damning is icicles, and if bad enough, can form very large icicles. These huge icicles are not only hazardous to you and to the people passing underneath, but can also be a sign of severe problems in your attic and/or in the roof. Given the extreme temperature changes in Toronto and surrounding areas, ice damning has become a huge issue and can end up costing lots of money to fix if your roof is not maintained properly.
What causes Ice Damning?
Ice Dams or Ice Damning is created from a build-up of snow on the roof and the warm air we are heating on the inside of the home. If your roof is not insulated properly or is not ventilated properly, the hot air from your home will escape through the roof and cause the snow to melt. As the melting snow drains off the roof, it freezes in the eaves or gutters before it gets a chance to fully drain; hence causing ice build-up or ice dams. The more this happens, the bigger the ice build-up gets and icicles start to form. Eventually the water will have nowhere to go and can start seeping inside the roof through cracks and crevices, if the roof is not properly maintained. An indication that you have ice damning is large icicle formations and patches of melting snow on the roof.
How to Prevent Ice Damning?
- Proper Insulation – It is extremely important that you have just the right amount of insulation in your attic. Build code is an R-50 of insulation. If you do not have enough insulation, it will allow too much heat to escape causing possible ice damning and condensation to form. Both of these will create for water damage and the possible risk of mold growth.
- Proper Ventilation – Ensure that proper ventilation has been installed into the attic. Not only proper intake and outtake in the attic, but that the exhaust fans are vented out through the soffits. If the exhaust fans and hose is just vented into the attic, then the hot air will be blowing directly on the attic sheathing cause the outside to snow to melt.
- Roof Maintenance – Many older roofs do not have ice and water shield installed. Ice and water shield is a material membrane that is laid underneath the shingles to prevent any water from seeping into the roof. Some roofs may have this just at the bottom 3 feet of the roof and others may have the entire roof covered. If the shingles are older and starting to deteriorate, water can easily travel through and entire into your property as well.
- Clean Eaves Troughs and Gutters – the ice dams will start to form in the eaves and gutters on the roof. Ensure that the area is clear so the water can drain as much as possible freely without having to travel through sticks and leaves. This will help minimize the chances for ice damning.
Water Damage from Ice Damning
As the water enters your property from the roof, it has nowhere to go but down. You may start to notice small water stains on your ceiling or running down the walls. The longer this occurs, the more water damage will appear and the chance of mold growth can be very high. Mold growthis very common as all mold needs to grow is an organic material (the drywall or plaster walls) and moisture (the water from the ice damning). If the water is consistent and not dried up properly, then mold with grow. In extreme cases, the water will actually start dripping from the ceiling and walls and pooling on the floor. In these cases, immediate action is required to remediate the problem.
How Canada's Restoration Services can help you!
Canada's Restoration Services is the leading service provider in Water Damage Toronto, which is composed of our expert teams, who are IICRC Certified and trained to handle numerous water damages like flooding, ice damning, and other water damage repairs.
Click Here to see why it is important to choose an IICRC Certified Firm when requiring water damage services.
Here at Canada's Restoration Services we can guarantee you that all your worries will be resolved in the fastest time possible, as we possess the latest and advance tools and technology in fixing these issues.
As the water damage Toronto leader, we can give you the kind of water damage repairs services that you have not yet experience before.
First step is to bring in a licensed Roofer who can:
- Remove the all the ice and snow in small chucks so that the roof will not be damaged and,
- Clear the gutters and the downspouts.
If you need assistance in hiring a reliable roofer, give us a call. We only work with the best roofing companies that have years of experience and amazing quality of service.
If you require emergency water damage services, from the incoming water we are here to help! It is important however to address the roof issues first or the problem will continue to persist. Once the roof is fixed and cleared of the excess ice, we can send in a dedicated project manager to assess the internal damages. We will come in and perform a free inspection and provide you with a scope of work and estimate on repairing the damages.
If the costs are starting to add up, we are happy to offer you free in house financing with 0% down and $0 interest on 24 months (on approved credit). We know these times can be unexpected and money may not be at hand; we are here to help!
Make all your worries about ice damning, flooding, and other water damage issues be freed as Canada's Restoration Services Toronto is here to serve you 24/7 with the utmost level of respect, diligence, and satisfaction. Through our expertise and dedicated people, we can assure you that there are no jobs too big or too small that we can assist with. Let us work together in making your property a safe place to live!
Call Today 416-479-9211
