An Important Message From The Mayor

As winter continues its icy grip on the town of East Hartford and New England, one of the things that provides a major danger to citizens are the presence of ice dams and frost heaves.

If gone unnoticed and untouched, the presence of ice dams could cause catastrophic consequences for a homeowner or a building owner.

Here are some facts or tips that will help you avoid catastrophe during the final stretch of winter.

What are ice dams?

Ice dams usually occur after a heavy snowfall and several days of freezing temperatures. Warm air inside your home leaks into the attic and warms the underside of the roof causing snow and ice on the roof to melt. The melted water will drain along the roof, under the snow, until it reaches the cold overhang where the melted water will refreeze and form an ice dam and icicles. Water then backs up behind the ice dam, coming up under the shingles and causing damage to the roof, resulting in water leaks to the inside. Frequently the result will be a water spot on the ceiling under the roof damage.

How to remove ice dams:

Do not get on your roof to solve this problem. It could be dangerous.

Do not stand on the ground and chip away at the ice. Not only could this cause damage to your roof, but you can be seriously injured by falling ice debris, or tools.

Melt the ice dam by filling a nylon stocking with calcium chloride ice melt, and place it vertically across the ice dam so that it melts a channel through the dam. For easy removal tie a piece of rope or twine to the filled stocking before placing on the roof.

If you try this, make sure you use calcium chloride and not rock salt because rock salt will damage your roof. Be sure that you can place the ice melt safely. Also, be aware that placing salt on your roof may damage shrubbery and plants near the gutters or downspouts.

If you cannot safely reach the roof, avoid using a ladder in snowy and icy conditions. Consider hiring a contractor to remove the ice dam.

To prevent ice dams in the future:

The best solution for preventing future ice dams is to seal air leaks in your attic to stop warm air leakage (the source of the problem). After sealing leaks, add additional insulation in your attic.

Provide adequate attic ventilation so that the underside of the roof and the outside air are at the same temperature. Check to make sure attic insulation is not blocking roof ventilation.

Be sure to clear leaves and other debris from gutters before the first snow. Make sure the area around downspouts is clear to help prevent standing water and ice build-up in gutters.

Use a roof rake to clear snow from the edge of your roof after every snow storm.

What are Frost Heaves?

With cold air temperatures, the ground freezes from the surface down. At the top near the surface is a layer where all of the water in the soil is frozen. Below that is a layer that is only partially frozen, and below that is an unfrozen layer. Water from the unfrozen layer moves up through to the partially frozen layer and forms crystals of ice which then grow into what are called ice lenses. As the ice builds up and the lenses grow, the soil above is displaced, creating a frost heave. Residents may note that the roads reconstructed under the Road Improvement Bond have not experienced as much frost heave because the base layers under the pavement were improved to provide better drainage, making the material underneath the road less susceptible to frost.