Hazardville Roofing Co., Inc.
Ice dams
What are ice dams? Ice dams form on the edge of a roof when melting snow from the roof above comes in contact with the colder
part of the roof outside of the walls. When this happens, ice begins to build up, forming a dam. As more water comes down the roof, a
pond begins to form behind the ice dam .As this pond gets deeper, water begins to back up under the shingles and enters the house,
usually through windows, and down walls. This has never been more obvious than it was in the winter of '95-96. The most effective
means of preventing this problem, is to install ice & water barrier to the edge of the roof. Ice & water barrier is a heavy roll of asphalt
material with an adhesive back, which when properly applied, sticks to the wood deck of the roof. Now when the water backs up under
the shingles, the ice & water barrier prevents it from entering the house, thereby preventing interior damage. This material comes in
3 foot wide rolls. Depending on the pitch of the roof, we install either 3 or 6 feet of this material, and in some extreme cases, even
more. Ice & water barrier, since its appearance on the market, has proved to be very effective. Installation of ice & water barrier
and roofing felt (tar paper), is standard on every roof we install.
Typical installation of Ice & Water Barrier
This photo illustrates the ice & water barrier (the dark black material), in place along the edge of the roof, with felt on the remainder
of the roof. The ice & water barrier in this installation extends 6 feet up the roof.
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