Earlier this week while at a listing presentation for a Rockland County homeowner I noticed a rather spectacular line of icicles hanging from the roof and mentioned it to the owner. She thought they looked pretty and wasn't worried as they wouldn't damage anything when they fell.
As she took me on a tour of the house, I asked if they'd ever had an ice dam on the roof. I explained that having lived in Minnesota for several years, I was familiar with this particular home hazard. When there is a lot of snow followed by cold weather, heat leaking through a poorly insulated roof or a roof warmed by the sun melts the snow, causing water to run off the roof. As the water reaches the cold overhang, it freezes in the gutter and downspout. The steady build-up of ice at the edge of the roof eventually forms pools of water back on the warmer side. The water wicks up under the shingles and can penetrate the roof, and get into the house.
The homeowner scoffed at the idea. "We've never had a problem with that," she said. Just then, we entered a bedroom on the icicle side of the house. "What's that then?" I said, pointing to a damp-looking spot on the ceiling. It was water, which had leaked in through the shingles because of an ice dam.
There are some methods used to prevent ice dams, but most are not totally effective. One product on the market is a heated electrical wire which is attached to the edge of your roof or gutter to prevent ice from forming. These often don't work very well, can waste electricity and may even be dangerous.
Today's solution is not to prevent the ice dam but to prevent the water from getting past the roof. A number of products are available to treat the roofs surface beneath the shingles so it is completely waterproof. The effect is similar to shrink-wrapping the areas of the roof likely to be affected. Ask your home improvement store clerks about it, or visit the Ask the Builder website for more information.
However, as the past month's conditions are an unusual occurrence in this part of the country, permanent solutions are probably unnecessary. Homeowners just need to know that as pretty as the icicles are to look at, they should be knocked down and gutters cleared to prevent the ice dam from forming as quickly as possible.
If you are planning on selling your home putting your property in ship shape condition is the key to getting top dollar in this market. Elizabeth Weintraub of About.com explains why in her recent article "How to Prepare Your House For Sale". In this market where there are so many homes in competition with each other to sell it is imperative that yours is the winner of the beauty pageant. Damp spots on the ceiling and leaky gutter just wont help.
In the case of the homeowner above, I was able to call in V Team member Sergio Matta, who rushed over, cleared her roof and repaired the damage to the ceiling allowing me to put her house on the market the very next day.
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