Do you have icicles hanging off your roof? Do your kids like to break them off and use them as toys? Well, there could be a bigger problem with those icicles than you might think. In this episode, we talk about how icicles could be causing damage to your roof and insulation.
The heat from your home in the winter goes up into the attic, warming up your roof and melting the snow on top. The eaves on your roof keep the water away from your house when the water drips off, and they are colder than the roof. The ice freezes there, giving you your icicles.
If that happens for long enough, you’ll end up with puddles on your roof as that dam of ice gets bigger and bigger. That water can start going back underneath your shingles to drip down behind your walls. Paint bubbling or “melting” on your exterior walls can be an indicator of this happening.
The way you solve this problem is called heat tape or heat cable. Heat tape provides a way for the water to get off the roof. As long as the water has a place to go, your home is designed to handle it. So the heat tape melts a path through the snow and ice for it to go.
If you’ve been dealing with a lot of icicles over the years, Any Hour Services would be happy to help. One of our licensed electricians can survey your home and let you know what your heat tape options are. You can give us a call or schedule an appointment online today.
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