Ice Dams are basically melted snow that refreezes at the edges of your roof, due to insufficient ceiling insulation and also from poor ventilation in your attic.
Because the edge of the roof is much colder than the top of the roof when water reaches the edge it forms a dam of water and this water starts backing up under your roof and eventually it starts leaking into your house as it thaws.
You will have to take some precautionary measures in order to avoid water from thawing on the underside of your roof. Here are some simple suggestions that should help you to keep your roof from leaking due to the buildup of ice dams on your roof.
You should reinforce the insulation in your ceiling by installing an electric thermostat heat tape. For this type of insulation you will also need to install an exterior weatherproof receptacle outlet close to the end of one of the roof edge.
Also you should consider installing some snow guards as these prevent snow from getting loose and slipping off the roof and damaging your gutter.
Make sure there is an open channel for cold air to pass from the soffit vents and into the attic.
For this you will need to attach insulation baffles on the underside of the roof sheathing.
Seal all the gaps around the pipes or electrical cables that go through the top plates of the walls in the rooms below.
Insulate and Weather strip the entire attic including doors and pull down attic stairs.
All recessed light fixtures should be sealed and covered with insulations but be careful when performing this task and make sure that these light fixtures are IC compliant.
All attic vents should be left opened in order to allow heat that usually escapes from other areas of the house, and flows into the attic will be able to move through the vent before it can get a chance to warm the roof.
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