Winter can be hard on your roof, especially when it comes to your roof gutters and downspouts. Clogged roof downspouts or overflowing gutters can make it more difficult for melting snow to flow off your roof, which can often result in heavy ice dams.
Ice dams are problematic enough on their own, but when they begin to overflow and spill over the eves of your roof, they can form icicles. Icicles are beautiful but highly dangerous, and leaving them unattended can cause serious problems.
The Dangers of Icicles
Icicles can pose a serious hazard to anyone walking close to the exterior of your house. In fact, falling icicles have caused several deaths and hundreds of injuries over the years. But the threat isn’t just to the people in your home: icicles can also create situations that will lead to costly roofing repair.
When too many icicles accumulate, they can become heavy enough to tear down gutters and even shatter windows. A more insidious consequence of icicles is a tendency to seep into the roof and cause roof rotting over time.
Icicle Prevention
So what can you do to prevent them from forming, and how can you deal with them if they form anyway?
Cleaning roof gutters and downspouts before winter rolls around is a great way to prevent both ice dams and icicles. If the water has a clear channel to flow away from your roof, it’s less likely to accumulate and it probably won’t flow under your roofing membrane to cause leaks and other internal problems.
You can also hire residential roofing contractors to place heat tape along the seams of your roof and prepare it for winter to reduce the chance that icicles will form. Usually, residential roofing contractors offer home winterization for a fairly low price, considering how high repair costs can get.
What you shouldn’t do is go outside with a broom and start knocking icicles down. This can be dangerous for you and your house. Contact residential roofing contractors in your area if you’re concerned. Find out more at this site.