First, icicles are NOT good for your home! They may be pretty, but they are a sign of ice dams, which can cause some serious leaking that you want to avoid. It's incredibly important to get up and clear the snow within three feet of the edge of the roof. Once you do that, the melting snow will be able to run off as it's supposed to.
What causes these ice damns? A lot of the problems stem from a lack of insulation in the attic area. I've been in many houses where I've seen insulation stuffed in the eaves and soffits of the attic. Homeowners will explain that they did that because they saw daylight coming in and wanted to correct it. My advice: you need to have air flow from your soffits up to your ridge vent! Your attic should be cold - the circulation of air is vitally important if you want to prevent ice dams on your roof.
Another problem we've seen lately is mold in attics. A lot of times, especially in older homes, contractors have vented bathroom fans into the attic, which effectively dumps more moist air into attic space, causing heat buildup and eventually mold. My advice: check to make sure your bathroom fans are vented out through the roof to avoid mold buildup in your attic.
If you have any questions about winterizing your home, don't hesitate to give us call or shoot us a quick email. We're real estate professionals, so we deal with this stuff all the time and would love to give you a hand! We look forward to helping you soon.
Thanks, and make it a great day!
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