Gutters just allow the ice to crawl a bit further past the edge of your roof overhang.
Rain gutters ice dams.
For ice dams to form there must be snow on the roof and at the same time higher portions of the roof s outside surface must be above 32 degrees f freezing while lower surfaces are below 32f.
Heat loss from a house snow cover and outside temperatures interact to form ice dams.
Ask this old house general contractor tom silva explains the best ways to keep your roof and gutters free from those dreaded ice dams.
If necessary use a long handled garden rake or hoe to push it into position.
Ice dams can form in your gutters when water is unable to leave the system due to blockages and other debris.
Ice dams can form in your gutters when rainwater or other precipitation backs up in your gutters and freezes due to cold temperatures in the winter late fall or early spring.
Nonuniform roof surface temperatures lead to ice dams.
The more feet of overhang on your roof the greater the potential for bigger.
In my experience gutters can result in larger thicker ice dams by creating a shelf and more depth to the overhang.
An ice dam is a wall of ice that forms at the edge of the roof usually at the gutters or soffit.
With a lack of insulation or heat source water will build around or on gutter guards even if the gutter system did not experience problems in the past.
This backup is usually caused by clogs in the system that prevent water from flowing into the trough down the spouts and away from your home.
This in turn adds to the ice sickle or ice dam and will cause it to grow.
Lay the hose onto the roof so it crosses the ice dam and overhangs the gutter.
Water that freezes then creates a dam or dripping point that unfrozen water will naturally follow.
This pool of water can leak into your home and cause damage to walls ceilings insulation and other areas.
Why do ice dams form.
When it forms the water then backs up behind the ice dam and creates a pool of water.
An accumulation of ice can also damage your gutters.
See below for a shopp.
In essence they extend the area of your overhang.
This in turn causes the water to sit in the gutters and with the onset of colder temperatures the water will then turn into ice and at that point you are in a world of hurt.
The more feet of overhang on your roof the greater the potential for big ice dams forming.
While your gutters are designed to send water from your roof to the ground the ice dam keeps the water at the edge of the roof leading to leaks and rot.
