Preventing ice dams.   That’s a hot topic here in Eastern Massachusetts during the winter of 2015!  It seems like we have an ice dam disaster a couple of times per decade in the Boston area, as blizzard after blizzard dump snow mercilessly on helpless homeowners.

The main cause of ice dams is heat loss from inside your home.  This heat loss is usually due to a combination of reasons including insufficient or poorly installed insulation, air leaks in construction, and penetrations through the ceilings of your home including HVAC vents, recessed lights, bathroom vents, and attic doors.

Don’t blame your roofer!

It is understandable that if you have ice dams and leaking into your home, you’d like to blame your roofing contractor.  Keep in mind, the winter of 2015 is a natural disaster of epic proportions, and there will be countless millions in insurance claims due to leaking roofs.  No roof is 100% leak proof, and a roof installed to or even beyond building code will most certainly leak under the right conditions.  If you have ice dams, the best short term solution is to find a local INSURED company that can remove snow and ice from your roof.  Also remember, this task is much more difficult if you wait until you have two plus feet of snow on your roof.  The bottom line is, you don’t blame your contractor if a tornado hits your home and causes damage (in most cases!) and you don’t blame your roofer if your roof is leaking during ice dams.

Assess your insulation and heat loss

While the damage is probably already done this year, it’s a great time to have an assessment to find out the main cause of your ice dams and plan corrective measures to prevent them in the future.  Please take a moment and watch the informative video above, and feel free to contact Masters Touch Design Build if you’d like an assessment for your home.

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