Ice dams may lead to pretty icicles, but they can also cause costly damage to your gutters, your roof, and even the inside of your home. Fortunately, Gutter Helmet® has developed an ingenious product to reduce the formation of ice dams on your roof: Helmet Heat®, a system of self-regulating cables placed just under your Gutter Helmet gutter guard. Here, we look at some common questions about ice dams and how Helmet Heat works to reduce damage.
What are Ice Dams?
Ice dams are ridges of ice that form at the bottom of your roof, inhibiting your gutters from channeling water away from your home as they’re intended to do. Many homeowners are not even aware they have ice dams, since these pesky layers of ice are often hidden under snow. Additionally, it can take some time before the damage from ice dams becomes apparent in a home.
What Causes Ice Dams?
When snow or ice falls onto your roof, the heat from inside your home can melt it if there is improper attic insulation or ventilation. The melted water trickles down the roof until it reaches your gutter – the coldest part of your roof because it’s farthest away from the heated interior of your home – and freezes, forming a solid ridge of ice. Snowmelt continues to pool above and inside your frozen gutter, creating ice dams.
Are Ice Dams Really So Bad?
Yes! Ice dams prohibit your gutters from doing what they’re designed to do: drain water off your roof. Without a properly functioning gutter, snowmelt will get backed up on your roof, forming puddles that can seep beneath your shingles and into your attic. When water leaks into your attic, it can damage your insulation, lead to mold and mildew growth, and may even compromise the structure of your home.
In addition to preventing your gutters from operating correctly, ice dams can irreversibly damage them. When water freezes, it expands—meaning the ice inside your gutter will cause the gutter itself to expand and warp. In the worst case, the weight from ice dams and icicles can even cause your gutter to break away from your home completely.
How Does Helmet Heat® Reduce Ice Dams?
Reduce ice dams by stopping snowmelt on your roof from freezing in the first place, so your gutters can drain it away from your home like they’re supposed to do. Helmet Heat is a simple but effective system of “smart” cables installed in your gutter leaf guard. When the cables detect that the ambient temperature has dropped to a certain level, they automatically heat up just enough to keep the precipitation from re-freezing, thus enabling your gutters to continue doing their job unimpeded. When you choose Helmet Heat, you can have peace of mind knowing that your home will be safer from the danger of ice dams.
Contact Us
Don’t wait for ice dams to create an expensive catastrophe on your roof. Call (800) 824-3772 today to speak to an experienced professional at Gutter Helmet about installing Helmet Heat on your home.
