“Winter roars in and temperatures begin to drop, snow starts to fall, and
the ice begins to form.  This can create potential problems and lead to
ruined carpets and water damage to your ceilings and walls from leaks caused
by ice dams or bursting pipes.

ICE DAMS

An ice dam is an accumulation of ice at the lower edge of a sloped roof,
usually at the gutter.  When interior heat melts the snow on the roof, the
water will run down and refreeze at the roof’s edge, where temperatures are
much cooler.  Eventually, the ice builds up and blocks water from draining
off of the roof.  This forces the water under the roof covering and into
your attic or down the inside walls of your house.  Once an ice dam forms,
the potential damage can be serious.   Taking the following steps now can
avoid trouble later:

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           Keep the attic well ventilated.  The colder the attic, the less
melting and refreezing on the roof.
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           Keep the attic floors well insulated to minimize the amount of
heat rising through the attic from within the house.
*
     Clean the gutters - remove leaves and other debris from the gutters
either by hand, or with a scraping tool, and then give a good rinse with the
garden hose so that the rain and melting snow can drain.  Clogged drains can
form ice dams.  As gutters are being cleaned out, look for leaks and make
sure the downspouts are carrying water away from the foundation, where it
could cause flooding or other water damage.

These steps will help decrease the likelihood that ice dams will form or, at
least, reduce their size.

As an extra precaution against roof leaks in case ice dams do form, install
a water-repellent membrane under the roof covering.  Another suggestion is
to speak with your local building office about minimum code requirements for
ice dam protection.

Unfortunately, ice dams may be unavoidable if your home has recessed
lighting near the roof.  Heat generated from these lights melts snow, which
then contributes to ice dam buildup.  The only sure way to avoid this
problem is to eliminate recessed lighting fixtures near the roof.

FREEZING PIPES

Frozen water in pipes can cause water pressure build-up between the ice
blockage and the closed faucet at the end of a pipe, which leads to pipes
bursting at their weakest point.  Pipes in attics, crawl spaces and outside
walls are particularly vulnerable to freezing in extremely cold weather,
where holes in the home’s outside wall for television, cable or telephone
lines allow cold air to reach them.  To help prevent water in pipes from
freezing, take the following steps:

*
        Fit exposed pipes with insulation sleeves or wrapping to slow the
heat transfer.   The  more     insulation the better.
*
         Seal cracks and holes in outside walls and foundations near water
pipes with caulking.
*
        Keep cabinet doors open during cold spells to allow warm air to
circulate around pipes (particularly in  the  kitchen and bathroom).
*
         Keep a slow trickle of water flowing through faucets connected to
pipes that run through an unheated or unprotected space.  Or drain the water
system, especially if  the house will be unattended during cold periods.

HOMEOWNERS BEWARE - As a result of the August 9th storm damage, there have been a number of phony tree removal outfits taking advantage of people in need.  They’ve been asking for a large deposit up-front.  Once the money is received, they’ll do a little work, claim that there is an emergency elsewhere and promise to come back when their work has been completed.