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Large icicles hanging off the edge of the roof is a tell-tale sign of ice damming. This Glastonbury home even has icicles forming on the siding!
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You can see the clogged gutters and icicles forming on the siding of this Glastonbury home. No wonder these homeowners had a problem! Ice dams are essentially the product of melting and re-freezing snow and are definitely a sign of energy loss through the attic
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When melted snow cannot get through or over gutters clogged with ice, it may run down behind the gutters and then re-freezes, forming icicles on the siding.
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Although these icicles hanging from the gutters are small, there are a lot of them! Even small icicles can cause major damage.
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The second story roof has ice damming problems, too. The water and ice dripping down onto the lower roof compounds the damage.
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With nowhere to go, the melted snow backs up behind the ice dam and starts pushing up under the shingles.
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Once the ice dam pushes back up under the shingles (and sometimes siding), it can cause roof leaks.
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As you can see, the ice dams from the gutters, roof and even siding has caused water leaks and significant damage inside the home.
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The foil-faced insulation has created a vapor barrier towards the inside. When air gets trapped and is cooled to its dew point, it can produce water, mold and rot.
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Look at all this water! When moisture from the house got into the air ducts and then cooled as it reached the cold attic space, it condensed, filling the duct with water. Ice damming can also cause water to leak directly into the attic, which could soak the wood, insulation, flooring or upstairs ceiling, as well as belongings stored in the attic.
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You can see the water that is running down behind the ice-clogged gutters is discharging right next to the foundation. That water may find its way into the basement!
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Here you can see the signs that water has found its way into the home under the siding and inside the exterior walls.
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The white stains on the basement wall is efflorescence, a sign of water seepage. When the soil around the foundation becomes saturated from melted snow and gutter runoff, the water can eventually find its way into the basement.
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Here again you can see the efflorescence on the basement wall. The floor joists above are also wet. Water in this basement can lead to all types of damage including mold and wood rot.
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In this photo you can actually see the water leaking inside the house!
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Here you can see evidence of water seepage in the basement.
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Water damage from ice damming can lead to mold growth or wood rot. Water streaks are a sign of moisture damage. ALL of this damage can be prevented with a properly air sealed and insulated attic.