Roofing Specialists in Plymouth MA can help homeowners whose houses are prone to developing ice dams in the rain gutters. A few strategies can prevent this from happening again, and the roofers also can help if the problem has already occurred and is getting worse. Ice dams can cause damage to the shingles along the edges, as well as to the gutters and the interior of the home.
Heat Cables
Before winter comes, having a heat cable installed in the problem gutter will prevent a large amount of ice from accumulating there. The cable runs along the bottom of the trough and can be plugged in at an outlet on the exterior of the home. The device only has to be plugged in when ice can be seen in the gutter. This tends to happen when snow melts into the trough and then freezes. New snowmelt is too cold to easily melt that ice. When this melting snow freezes in the next cold snap, the ice block gets bigger.
Raking and Shoveling
People who aren’t comfortable with this solution for one reason or another can call Roofing Specialists in Plymouth MA to rake or shovel heavy snow off the roof. Raking usually is done from the ground with a diagonal shovel on a telescopic pole. Upper stories must be tackled from the first-floor roof or with equipment like a scaffold or a tall stepladder. Shoveling is done while standing on the roof.
Calcium Chloride Treatment
Another method involves climbing a stepladder and placing blocks of calcium chloride on top of the ice. This substance is not corrosive and it melts ice the same way calcium chloride, commonly called rock salt, does. A roofer from a company like Waterman Building & Remodeling might use a fabric mesh tube containing calcium chloride that creates a valley in the ice.
Most methods for eliminating ice dams are strenuous and may pose a hazard for people who are not experienced at working on top of roofs. Hiring professionals to do the tasks is a sensible alternative for many individuals. Visit the site to learn about one particular roofing contractor.
