Winter is an incredibly hard season for houses and it can take a toll on your home’s exterior. If you’re vigilant to watching for signs of trouble though, you’re often able to address issues before too much damage is done.
One area of your home that is easy to overlook, but should be monitored is the area around your ceiling vents. It’s not uncommon for water stains to appear after snowy and particularly cold weather. Because we don’t often look at these areas, it can be easy for an issue to arise and not be aware of it. That’s why we wanted to share some information on this problem and suggest homeowners remain watchful.
Although there can be several causes of this type of water damage, the most common is an ice dam forming on your roof. This dam is caused by the melting of snow and then re-freezing and it’s not uncommon for this snow melt on your roof to be caused by heat loss from your own home.
Therefore, if you find water damage around a bathroom vent, evaluate if home heat loss through one of the following is the cause of the issue.
- Inadequate insulation in your attic
- Air ventilation issues
- Flow of warm air to the attic and roof from items such as light and plumbing fixtures, chimneys, and bathroom exhaust fans.
In our next post, we’ll explore how homeowners can deal with heat loss and other potential factors which can lead to roof ice dams and their damaging consequences.
Ultimately, your roof is an important protective structure for your home; we’re here to help you care for it. No matter your Ann Arbor roofing needs, we can assist you!