How to Protect Your Commercial Roof from Ice Dams This Winter

Ice dams pose a significant threat to roofs across Calgary, causing serious leaks and damage. They occur when snow on the roof melts and then refreezes along your eaves, causing water to back up.

To avoid this, ensure your attic has adequate insulation and ventilation. Routine maintenance of your commercial roof, such as gutter cleaning and snow removal, helps prevent ice dams from forming.

Avoiding ice damming will help keep your property safe and in good condition year-round. Follow Superior Roofing for the best advice.

Understanding Ice Dams

Ice dams are a frequent problem during Calgary’s cold, snowy months. They’re created when warm air from within a home leaks into the attic space, warming the roof surface above freezing. This heats the roof enough to melt the snow on it.

It’s when this water makes its way down to the colder eaves of your roof and refreezes that it forms an ice dam, preventing water from draining. This is known as an ice dam. This creates an ice dam, which traps water behind it and prevents proper drainage. That cycle continues until the real problem is fixed.

As most Calgarians know, this is a common occurrence, particularly during those wild winter months marked by extreme snow events and regular chinooks.

The roof's insulation traps heat, melting even more snow. When this melting snow runs off and re-freezes at the eaves, it can create much larger and damaging ice dams. This process is most pronounced on Calgary’s clear, sunny mid-winter days.

So when temperatures drop and then rise again, the conditions for ice damming are ripe, particularly during extended cold spells.

The damage from ice dams can be extensive. Trapped water can then get under shingles, causing leaks and water damage in the home. This can lead to unsightly ceiling stains, peeling paint, and, in some cases, structural damage.

Knowing the early warning signs that an ice dam is forming is key. Keep an eye out for icicles hanging from the eaves or water stains on your ceiling. By detecting issues early, timely treatment can be performed before a more extensive and expensive repair is needed.

To avoid this danger, it’s best to keep this hazard in mind. Remove the last 4 feet of snow from your roof immediately following heavy snowfalls using a long-handled roof rake. This approach works well, is cost-effective and easier on your roof.

This potentially costly and damaging step is necessary to prevent ice dams and keep your home safe and sound. Keep in mind: never try to remove snow from the roof; it is highly hazardous.

Risks of Ice Dams

Ice dams pose a serious risk to homes, as many Calgarians are well aware of the problems they cause. When water infiltrates a roof through ice dams, the risk of structural damage increases. This water can actually seep under shingles and into the roof deck, causing rot and undermining the structure’s integrity.

In a climate like Calgary’s, where winters can be frigid, this increases the likelihood of urgent repair situations. Water infiltration does not solely remain within the roof. It can seep into walls, causing leaks that damage the interior and promote mould growth.

This moisture also provides a perfect breeding ground for mould, which can multiply rapidly and become airborne throughout an infected home. Mould damages structural components and creates potential health hazards for occupants.

The development of heavy icicles is another risk with ice dams. These icicles can be heavy and dangerous as they dangle from gutters and eaves. If they do break off, they can injure individuals standing below or damage property, such as cars parked under ice-covered eaves.

Don’t be fooled by their impostor charm—homeowners may get suckered by icicles dangling off their roofs. Removing these perilous formations can be dangerous in itself, particularly in icy conditions. Our experts advise against attempting snow removal on your own, as icy falls can lead to serious injury or death.

From an economic perspective, dealing with ice-dam damage can be expensive. The costs go beyond repairing a roof and gutters and include dealing with water damage within the home. Preventative measures such as air sealing, adding insulation, and increasing attic ventilation can prevent 80-90% of ice dams.

For homeowners with steep or metal roofs, the risk is much less. All it takes is a little heat leakage from your home to raise the roof temperature above freezing. This temperature fluctuation can lead to the formation of ice dams. That’s why keeping even temperatures is very important.

Prevention Methods

Preventing ice dams in Calgary’s climate takes multiple, proactive approaches. Here’s a bullet list of effective prevention methods:

• Prevent ice dams by making sure your attic is well-insulated and ventilated. Proper insulation prevents heated air from escaping your home.

• A properly insulated attic can keep snow from melting on your roof. This dramatically reduces the risk of ice dams forming.

• Ventilation is equally important because it allows cold air to circulate, keeping your roof surface cold and minimizing snow melt.

• By installing an effective ventilation system along with insulation, you can avoid the ice dams that cause costly repairs down the road.

• If you have a flat-roofed structure, be proactive and shovel snow off it regularly. Snow removal can stop ice from forming in the first place.

• Use a roof rake to clear snow after heavy snowfall, especially around eaves and valleys where ice dams are most likely to form. This technique preserves the material by reducing the load weight and moisture retention.

• Repair or seal gaps in your roofline. Finding and air sealing these gaps will help prevent warm air from leaving your home and entering your attic.

• Warm air from the house needs to remain trapped. If it leaks into the attic, it will create conditions where snow melts and refreezes at the edge of the roof.

• Making sure your roof is adequately sealed is an essential part of ice dam prevention.

• Install snow guards to break up and disperse snow. Snow guards are an affordable, effective, and responsible way to manage snow and ice.

• They also catch tons of deep snow, preventing heavy snow from dumping all at once. This action reduces the likelihood of ice dams and the damage they can cause.

Regular maintenance, including cleaning gutters and installing heat cables or tape, can help too.

Removing debris from gutters helps melt water slide off roofs instead of pooling and freezing to form ice dams.

Installing heating cables along the roof edge can provide additional protection from ice accumulation.

Professional Help

In a cold winter city like Calgary, where conditions can lead to extreme winter weather, professional ice dam removal is the innovative solution. Their advanced training allows them to identify and address even minor concerns before they become serious problems. This proactive approach helps homeowners and property managers sleep better at night.

Properly removing snow—in a safe, effective manner—requires specialized tools, such as roof rakes. These tools help professionals remove snow without risking damage to the roof’s surface. Appropriate application of all these tools means snow is removed effectively, reducing the chance of ice dams forming.

Superior Roofing professionals have the right tools and techniques to get these jobs done safely and efficiently. Property managers can be proactive by developing better, regular maintenance plans.

These plans must incorporate professional roofing services to eliminate the likelihood and future occurrence of ice dams, with proactive maintenance plans that include regular inspections and swift interventions, snow load issues can be addressed early, keeping your roof’s integrity intact all winter long.

By investing in professional services, you can prevent the pricey repairs that ice dam damage requires.