Ice damming could be the reason your Colgate home is leaking after a winter storm event!

12/21/2021 (Permalink)

If your home in Colgate, Baltimore County Maryland has a roof is covered in snow or ice, and you’re noticing water coming in from the sides of your home or business, you may be experiencing what's known as Ice Damming.

An Ice dam is ice build-up on roofs that form a blockage, preventing snow melt from draining off the roof properly. We Marylanders are at a high risk for ice damming related water damage due to our fluctuating weather; our warm days melt the snow, and our freezing winter nights refreeze the water, this is known as a melt-refreeze cycle—especially in Colgate, Maryland!

How an Ice Dam Damages your Colgate Property

1. Heat collects in the attic and warms the roof, except at the eaves. The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls
2.  Snow melts on the warm roof and then freezes on the cold eaves
3. Ice accumulates along the eaves, forming a dam. Melted water from the warm roof backs up behind it, flows under the shingles, and into the house

This water gets trapped, seeps through the shingles and enters your home through the attic, affecting your walls, ceiling, and roof, causing walls to sag, ceilings to buckle, crumble, and even collapse.

Chances are, if you’re reading this now you may be in need of repair, if so, don’t wait! Call your local SERVPRO you see signs of any water coming into your home. Water damage restoration can be expensive, but it’s more expensive to wait. A water damage specialist will be able to dry the structure, carpet, and hardwood, and salvage contents such as clothing and electronics but not everyone is equipped to do this (WE ARE!). If the water damage in your home is not treated within by a professional within 48-72 hours of the initial leak, it’s highly likely you will get mold, which will cause the removal process to become more hazardous, and difficult to remove as time allows the mold to grow and spread.

*SERVPRO of Sparrows Point/Essex/Chase is a Locally owned and independently operated Franchise, nationally recognized by all insurance companies. We go anywhere we are called and we will make it "Like it never even happened."