It is no secret the Buffalo, New York area experienced one of the worst snowfalls ever for that area. While no one in that area could have predicted that kind of snow, it’s safe to say many people in the Buffalo area prepared their homes for snow. The same is not necessarily true in other parts of the country, which recently grappled with icy temperatures when the Jetstream brought the Polar Vortex and its Arctic temperatures south.

Ice can cause one of the major issues for homeowners this time of year: ice dams. Unfortunately, they have a tendency to go from being a minor issue to something huge. One minute you are admiring icicles on your home, later you may find out they are causing mold damage to your attic. It is safe to assume no home owner wants to deal with water damage, in fact, most home owners do all they can to prevent water damage in their home.

Learn more below about what ice dams are, how to prevent them, and if the damage is covered with your home insurance.

What are ice dams?

Ice dams are thick ridges of solid ice that build up along the eaves (these are the edges of your roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building). What makes them dangerous is that they can literally tear off gutters. They also have the ability to loosen shingles and cause a magnitude of water damage from water pouring into your home. This water coming into your home can cause stained and damaged ceilings, ruined flooring, peeling paint, and in extreme cases soggy insulation in the attic. This insulation issue can mean mold and mildew issues for your home.

How can you prevent them?

The root of the creation of ice dams is that the temperature outside on the roof is drastically different from that inside. The trick to preventing them is to keep the whole roof the same temperature as the eaves. How can you do this? You may consider adding insulation to your home. Another way is looking for potentially air leaks and sealing those off.

  • Some specific ways to prevent ice dams:
  • Heated cables along roof’s edge to equalize temperature.
  • Fan in the attic aimed at areas where the water is leaking (to freeze it and stop leak).
  • Installing chimney flashing
  • Clean gutters
  • Really worried? Bring in a contractor to evaluate/make improvement suggestions

What does your home insurance cover if it happens?

The responsibility is yours to make repairs if you notice them and to keep up your home. With that said, sometimes accidents happen. You may not notice an ice dam is causing an issue and the next thing you know you have a major leak in your attic. When it comes to something like ice dams, like many other insurance aspects, each claim is unique. Your insurance carrier would send an expert claims professional to your home to evaluate the issues and damage and decide from there. Keep in mind, covered or not, that the cost of preventative work out of pocket is most likely worth it in comparison to the cost and issues that come with property damage from water leaks.

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Sources used in this story:
Installing Chimney Flashing, The Family Man
How to Get Rid of Ice Dams, This Old House
Ice Dams, Energy Star