How Ice Dams Cause Damage to Your Home

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We’ve had quite the winter so far here in Coastal Maine and the Portland area. With a constant fluctuation in temperatures, many homeowners are experiencing icicles, known as ice dams, on their gutters. Ice dams can not only be difficult to remove, but unfortunately, they can cause severe damage to your home as well. 

At Evergreen Home Performance, we understand how frustrating it can be to deal with ice dams, especially on top of all the other winter maintenance your home needs. Luckily, we can solve the issue with our comprehensive insulation and air sealing services. 

What Causes Ice Dams?

Ice dams occur when heat escapes from your attic and prematurely melts snow that has accumulated on your roof. As the snow melt flows to the eaves, or edges of your roof, it will then refreeze and create a blockage that prevents water from draining properly from your gutters. 

How Ice Dams Lead to Damage

When ice dams accumulate on your drip edge or gutters, the water from snowmelt will have nowhere left to go and can back up underneath your roofing and leak inside your home. This can lead to numerous problems for your home health and structure, such as:

  • Roof damage & leaks

  • Broken gutters

  • Wet & damaged insulation

  • Moisture & mold growth

  • Sagged ceilings

  • Wood rot 

  • Stained drywall or plaster

  • Peeling paint

The icicles on your gutters can also cause damage to HVAC equipment or parked cars outside of your home and even pose a fall risk to people walking by.  

Ice Dam Prevention with Air Sealing & Insulation

Removing ice dams after they have formed can be both difficult and dangerous. Luckily, Evergreen Home Performance can help you prevent ice dams at the source with air sealing and attic insulation. Air sealing helps to stop warm air from escaping your home while insulation helps prevent heat transfer. 

These two essential services work together to stop the snow from unevenly melting on your roof and come with many whole-home benefits, including:

  • Lower heating & cooling costs

  • More consistent temperatures

  • Improved indoor air quality

  • No more hot attics in the summer 

Find Reliable Ice Dam Solutions with Evergreen Home Performance

To find the most accurate and reliable ice dam solutions for your home, we recommend getting started with a free consult or an energy audit. This crucial step allows our team to pinpoint exactly where attic insulation and air sealing is needed to prevent heat from escaping out your roof and causing ice dams to form. Insulation and air sealing are also eligible for several incentives in Coastal Maine and Portland, like rebates from Efficiency Maine.

Evergreen Home Performance has been helping homeowners in our community with their home efficiency needs for nearly 20 years. We have extensive knowledge of building science principles that aid our team to find the right insulation type for your home’s specific needs and make sure it’s installed correctly. Don’t just deal with ice dams every winter, solve them for good with Evergreen Home Performance.

Get started with ice dam prevention for your home today. Call 207-594-2244 or contact us online to get started.

Icicles on your roof?

Your attic could be to blame. 207-594-2244

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Evergreen was so helpful in securing us Efficiency Maine funding for a big attic insulation project early this winter. They did all of the paperwork, and totally guided us through a vermiculite removal process that included a payment from a trust for the procedure. I could instantly feel the second floor being so much warmer than before. The boiler does not kick on nearly as frequently since they completed the job. It was worth every penny! Brian Robinson was so thorough throughout the whole process including a full walk through after the job had been completed.

Todd W.

Camden

The Evergreen crew from initial inception to installation were professional, on time, and left our place spotless. The end result was exceptional.

John Brown

Evergreen did everything they said they would and more. I actually don't mind going into the basement now since they sealed it. The air quality in the house is noticeably better and it's warmer in the winter. We can even store clothing down there where before, whatever was in there would mildew. Even the spider population declined! I used to vacuum so many of them from the corners of the ceilings in the house. Not any more!

Loriel Van Dusen

I never leave reviews, but had a great experience with Evergreen and wanted to spread the word! In short, we worked with them to insulate our roof this winter and have noticed surprising immediate results. The constant ice dams I have wrestled with are completely gone, and the home is noticeably more comfortable. It's a little too early to tell if our oil bill is going to reduce, but I imagine we will see an impact there as well.

Joel W.

Portland

Evergreen came out 2 years ago to do an assessment and insulate our roof. This year we had them come back and do the basement as well. They are hands-down the best crew we've ever hired to work on our house. They are experts at what they do, and super meticulous in their work. After working in our house for a week with blown insulation, there was no trace they were ever here. We've seen a huge decrease in our energy bills while at the same time the house has become way more comfortable. Can't recommend them enough.

RC Lations II

Portland

We had Evergreen Home Performance of Rockland come in to make our home more energy efficient, and what a TOP notch crew. Brian and his crew did an amazing job from start to finish. Very knowledgeable and professional. We would Definitely highly recommend this crew to anyone who is looking for energy efficiency in their home with a company that truly is an expert and knows how to do a quality job and truly cares about their customer.

Melissa S.

Owls Head

A thorough inspection of our (older) house and its energy needs. Competent and personable work crew.

Jacob Watson

Our basement was the eyesore of the house. I wanted to make improvements, but first needed to make structural, insulating and moisture mitigation improvements. Evergreen was professional and competent in taking on a complex project of not only encapsulation and insulation of basement and crawlspace, but completed needed improvements to the structural integrity of the wood floor platform above a crawlspace and brought in a concrete contractor to pour where there was once a rotting, tiered wood platform - replacing that area with a more functional and tight tiered concrete area.

Duane B.

East Boothbay

The Evergreen team was amazing from initial assessment and planning to the crew that came to complete the work. Our basement encapsulation is the best money we've spent on our house by far. The work was thorough and high quality. And what a wonderful group of people to work with. I highly recommend Evergreen!

Martha Bracy

I was very impressed by the professionalism of this company and the workers. Brian R. was very prompt in replying to my questions; the crew was meticulous in all parts of the work and attentive to the safety aspects concerning Covid; and Brian was extremely thorough in the final inspection. My attic is now snug and warm and I've noticed that the second floor is warmer as well.

Julia S.

Rockland

The Evergreen Team did a fabulous job and was very tuned and responsive to the particular needs we had. The job was done right on budget and we are thrilled with the improved warmth and energy efficiency.

Ira M.

Rockland

Awesome company. It was a few years ago that they did the audit and then we commissioned them to do the work. We subsequently sold our house and moved to South Africa, but their level of service and expertise will live on.

Odette Brown

The Evergreen crew who installed insulation in my attic were fantastic! They were very professional, worked exceedingly hard, and they did an excellent job. They were very pleasant and friendly to be around. They cleaned up beautifully after each work day, and left my home in great shape on when they walked out the door for the last time. I can't believe they were able to accomplish all that they did with heat soaring into the 80s and 90s. It was pretty unbearable up there! They have my highest praise and my gratitude.

Cynthia F.

South Portland

They were highly recommended. I found them to be very knowledgeable and so helpful, with practical ideas. Despite my not living within their service area, they were generous with their knowledge, describing the usual solutions to correct leaks in my basement, and what the result is likely to be by following path A, B or C, and why. I was discouraged. Talking with Evergreen helped me see that my basement problems are far from insurmountable and really, fairly common in 100-year old homes. There are proven solutions.

Rosalind J

Damariscotta

Professional, friendly and hard-working staff. The product/approach they use for insulation is top notch. We felt the difference immediately, both from added warmth and eliminating drafts. The team and management were easily available to answer our questions or coordinate meeting times. Highly recommended.

Kevin J.

Yarmouth

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Portland Buy Local
Efficiency Maine
EPA Lead-Safe Certified
Building Performance Association
BPI Certified
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190 Riverside St. #2A,
Portland, ME 04103

315 Main Street, Ste. 205,
Rockland, ME 04841

207-594-2244

info@evergreenyourhome.com