We have experienced a lot of snow this winter in the Metro – in fact we’ve already had more snow this season than in the last two winters combined. And winter is not over yet!

If you drive around the neighborhoods you probably have noticed icicles hanging from roofs. You may have noticed these on your own home, and perhaps you are seeing signs of water leaking into your home. It is possible you have developed an ice jam.

Ice jams occur when precipitation, in this case snow, is in a pattern of melting and refreezing. Snow will melt as the temperature climbs, and refreezes as the temperatures dip, forcing the water and ice under shingles and the roof underlayment. This may eventually cause water to leak in your house.

Inadequate insulation in your home allows heat to escape into your attic. As the heat in the attic reaches the roof, the roof deck warms and melts the snow on top of your roof. The pattern of melting and refreezing causes a layer of ice to form on the surface of your roof, under that snow, and this not only leads to water leaking into your home, but damage to your roofing as well.

Our advice – don’t do anything right now! Just because you see icicles or even what appears to be an ice jam, doesn’t necessarily mean you have a problem.

It is not safe to climb on your roof right now when it is covered in ice and snow. You could cause more damage to your roof by trying to remove ice or snow, so leave it alone. You should understand what the warranty is on your roof, and if you do notice water leaking in your home, call a professional! Do not try to fix the leak on your own.

You can learn more about ice jams HERE.  For now, let Mother Nature do her job and wait for the ice and snow to melt.