Ice Dams: How to Prevent Them During Utah Winters

Maintenance and care on the inside and outside of your home is critical; even for new Utah homes. As a new home builder in Utah, we want to help you understand just one of the problems that can affect your roof in our cold winter season: ice dams. Luckily, regularly maintaining your home and following these tips will help you prevent problems or minimize damage.

As temperatures begin to cool off, ice dams can occur. Ice dams are not uncommon when temperatures dip below and above freezing alongside healthy amounts of precipitation. They are most common on side of the homes that receive no or little sunlight during colder months but can form anywhere in the home.

Often, ice dams are temporary and go unnoticed until they melt away naturally or cause a leak in your home. However, ice dams can also cause water to freeze and melt through otherwise waterproof materials that would never leak during normal precipitation. In more severe cases, prevention may be needed to stop water penetrating waterproof flashing.

How to Prevent Ice Dams

The most common form of prevention for ice dams is heat tape or heat cables. Heat tape and cables can be purchased at most home improvement stores. Licensed roofers can install these items on your roof.

Prevention is Key: How it Works

Heat tapes prevent water from freezing in crickets (normal drainage valleys in your roof) or in gutters and downspouts which are all common ice dams. Ice can also be manually removed by chipping ice out of gutters or roof, but the potential for damage to those materials is high. Hot water can also be used to temporarily remove an ice dam. If excessive icicles form over gutters, water may be frozen in the gutters and melting snow or ice is flowing right over the gutter and creating dangerous icicles.

Quality Comes First with Our New Utah Homes

Even though we are a new home builder in Utah, we care about the longevity of your home long after construction is complete. With the right maintenance and care, your new home will stand up to even the harshest Utah winters; that’s because from the materials we use to the craftsmen we work with, we’re committed to high-quality construction.

If you are looking for a new homebuilder in Utah or Salt Lake County, see what Arive Homes has to offer.