Ice dams in Winter - Macalester Groveland

Have you ever thought about what ice dams are?  As a kid it was fun to get one off but as pretty as they are they can cause lots of damage.  This winter of 2023 has been a time for many ice dams - I m looking out my home office window at some on my house and the neighbors. Ice dams can tear off gutters, loosen shingles and cause water to back up and get into the house - this is where you can peeling paint on stained ceilings.  When this starts to happen it can cause mold and mildew. How to prevent? The should be plenty of ventalation in the attic so there is airflow - have you ever seen houses in the middle of the winter with no snow on the roof - this means there is no insulation - this is really the best way to prevent ice dams is to insulatate the attic and what I plan on doing this summer - another real issue is vent fans that go to the attic but are not vented outside - so many homes I show have bath and kitchen fans "going to nowhere" and just to the attice and the warm air is pushed into the attic - it s more difficult but those vent fans need to go through the roof to the outside. If the house has an attice the hatch needs to be sealed - this is a huge way for heat to escape - there should be weatherstripped caps made from foil - faced foam board taped with aluminum tape.