Skip to main content
Home page

Main navigation

  • FILE A CLAIM
  • ONE-TIME PAYMENT
  • LOGIN
  • Search
  • Side Menu
  • Secondary Menu

    Explore
    • COVERAGES
      • Back
      • Auto
      • Collector Cars
      • Condo Units
      • Flood
      • Home
      • Renter
      • Umbrella
    • RESOURCES & TOOLS
      • Back
      • Risk Coach Tool
      • Great Driver App
      • Glossary
    • CUSTOMER SERVICE
      • Back
      • MyAccount
      • FAQS
      • Refer a Friend
      • Submit a Story
      • One-time Payment
    • CLAIMS
      • Back
      • Claim Central
      • Auto
      • Home
      • Liability
      • Roadside Service
      • Watercraft
      • Guarantee
    • GET A QUOTE
      • Back
      • Careers Home
      • Search Jobs
      • Students & Recent Grads
      • About Us
      • Our Culture
      • Inclusion & Diversity
    • Coverages
      • Auto
      • Collector Cars
      • Condo Units
      • Flood
      • Home
      • Renter
      • Umbrella
    • Resources & Tools
      • Risk Coach Tool
      • Great Driver App
      • Glossary
    • Customer Service
      • MyAccount
      • FAQS
      • Refer a Friend
      • Submit a Story
      • One-time Payment
    • Claims
      • Claim Central
      • Auto
      • Home
      • Liability
      • Roadside Service
      • Watercraft
      • Guarantee
    • Get A Quote
    • Careers
      • Careers Home
      • Search Jobs
      • Students & Recent Grads
      • About Us
      • Our Culture
      • Inclusion & Diversity

    800.342.5342

    • FILE A CLAIM
    • ONE-TIME PAYMENT
    • LOGIN

    800.342.5342

    Make a Payment

    You are now leaving Electricinsurance.com. To proceed, please read the following statement and click on “I Understand”.

    We are pleased to direct you to Paymentus Corporation's® convenient, online bill payment service on a specialized, highly secure website. Paymentus is a separate corporation that is authorized to process premium payments on behalf of Electric Insurance Company's customers. The Paymentus privacy policies and security standards can be viewed in its entirety on its website. Please note that the transactions and data maintained on the Paymentus website are the sole responsibility of Paymentus Corporation.

    I understand

    Title

    add Content here.

    Continue
    Preventing Ice Dams

    ELECTRIC INSURANCE

    Preventing Ice Dams

    Ice dams can spell disaster for your roof. Here’s what you need to know about how they form and how to prevent them.

    • facebook
    • youtube
    • twitter
    • linkedin
    • facebook
    • youtube
    • twitter
    • linkedin

    How Ice Dams Form

    Ice dams occur when snow on a roof begins to melt from the heat of the house (often due to poor insulation or ventilation) and the water runs off the roof. If there is a significant difference in temperature at the edge of the roof, the water freezes into a solid mass of ice, blocking the melt water from draining properly into the gutters.

    What happens next? Ice dams often damage gutters and shingles. Worse, melt water trapped behind the dams can back up into your home. Warped ceilings, walls and floors, and damaged paint and insulation and mildew are likely consequences. Truly massive ice dams can cause roof collapse – destroying the home and contents and endangering residents.

    Preventing Ice Dams

    From low-tech prevention to advanced systems, there are various solutions to avoiding ice dams.

    Do-it-yourself snow removal. If you have a low roof you can reach from the ground, consider purchasing an ice rake to remove fresh snow from the first few feet (from the edges toward the top) of your roof’s surface after every storm. Ice rakes are long (approximately 20 feet), very lightweight tools that allow you to pull snow off the roof while you are safely on the ground and well away from the area in which the snow will fall. They are usually available in hardware stores and online.

    Be mindful to ensure there is a path for meltwater to flow off the roof so that it does not enter the home in another area. Always use caution to ensure you are not injured when you remove snow.

    Snow removal services. If your roof is simply too high, or inaccessible from the ground, or circumstances make removing roof snow yourself unfeasible, contact a snow removal service. Note, though, that fees commonly run about $300 to $600 per hour and some companies require a a two-hour minimum before accepting the job. It's a good idea to identify potential providers early and get several quotes.

    Roof-mounted heating cables. Consult a professional to find out about installing specialty heating cables. These cables are generally installed in a zig-zag pattern along the eaves of the roof and prevent ice dams from forming.

    Ice-dam resistant roof panels. Professionally mounted, heated panels shaped to maximize runoff and prevent ice from forming may be a good solution for some homes.

    Optimizing insulation and ventilation. Do some research about attic ventilation to see if you should make changes. Heat build-up will contribute to ice dams no matter how good your insulation is and usually carries excess moisture, contributing to even more problems. Determine what the optimum insulation is for your area and check it against what you currently have and consider making adjustments if necessary.

    An Ounce of Prevention…

    …could be worth tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars of savings to you. If you live in an area likely to get heavy snowfall, take preventative measures to avoid ice dams. You may avoid serious damage to your home and other property and major injury to yourself and family.

    Contact us

    Our Risk Coaches are licensed insurance professionals who are trained to look at coverage from your perspective. They’re glad to help you navigate the often-perplexing world of insurance coverage. Contact your local Risk Coach™ professional, or call us at  800.342.5342 Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET.

     

    Product, service, program, credit, and discount availability and limits vary by state. The information provided on this site is provided for informational purposes only and is not a full explanation of products, services, or coverage. For more information, please contact Electric Insurance Company at 800.227.2757. If there are discrepancies between the information on this site and the policy, the terms in the policy apply.
    Electric Insurance Company Risk Coaches help you assess your current coverages and exposure to risk based on the information you provide during your discussion with them. The services provided are for informational purposes only and do not create a professional or fiduciary relationship. Incomplete information or a change in your circumstances after your meeting may affect coverage requirements or recommendations.

    • Insurance QuoteGet a Quote
    • Home Insurance Quote OnlineRetrieve a Quote

    GET A QUOTE

    800.342.5342

    or Start Online

    Retrieve a Saved Quote

    Forgot your reference number?
    Want to issue your home policy?
    Call Electric Insurance at 800.342.5342
    (Mon-Fri: 8.00 AM to 7.00 PM ET)
    Share this:

     

    Photo of our homeowners insurance coverage brochure

     

    Home values are at an all-time high. Make sure you protect your investment in your home with sound coverage. This easy-to-understand coverage chart (PDF 861kb) helps you know what to get and why. 

     

    Tap or click to chat.Chat is currently unavailable.
    Electric Insurance Logo

    Footer Menu Coverages

    • Coverages
    • Auto
    • Home
    • Umbrella
    • Flood
    • Recreational Vehicles

    Footer Menu Customer Services

    • Customer Service
    • MyAccount
    • FAQs
    • Refer a Friend
    • Submit a Story

    Footer Menu Resources

    • Resources
    • Risk Coach Tool
    • Great Driver App
    • Glossary

    Footer Menu About Us

    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Careers
    • Culture & Values
    • Privacy & Terms
    • News & Press
    • Site Map
    • Agency Login
    • Cookies

     
    2022 Gold Stevie Award Icon
     
    Financial Strength RatingRating methodology is available
    on the AM Best Website
    • facebook
    • linkedin
    • twitter
    • youtube

    Our Commitment to Accessibility

    Electric Insurance Company is committed to making our website's content accessible and user friendly to everyone. If you are having difficulty viewing or navigating the content on this website, or notice any content, feature, or functionality that you believe is not fully accessible to people with disabilities, please call our Customer Service team at 888.545.4514. You may also mail us at [email protected] with "Disabled Access" in the subject line and provide the description of the specific feature you feel is not fully accessible or a suggestion for improvement. We take your feedback seriously and will consider it as we evaluate ways to accommodate all of our customers and our overall accessibility policies. Additionally, while we do not control such vendors, we strongly encourage vendors of third-party digital content to provide content that is accessible and user friendly.

    © Copyright {YEAR} Electric Insurance Company | 75 SAM Fonzo Drive | Beverly, MA 01915