Insights on Insurance

Insights on Insurance

You may be wondering why you have all those icicles hanging from your gutters after a big snowstorm.  Or  you may be unsure why your gutters are all frozen over with ice.  There is basically one answer – heat loss.  If your home is not adequately insulated, the heat rises into your attic causing the snow to melt and run down to the gutters.  The problem begins when the water approaches the gutters over the eaves of your roof where it is once again cold and begins to re-freeze.  Soon, this water backs up and freezes in the gutters and overflows, causing the icicles to form.  The warm sun exacerbates this process.  Ice damming can then begin, causing the water to back up into your house, causing damage to interior walls and ceilings.  This is a covered loss for most homeowners insurance policies, albeit subject to your deductible.  Furthermore, without adequate insulation, your heating dollar is spent heating your neighborhood rather than your home!  The solution is two-fold: 1.  Add insulation to your attic, either rolled or blown-in. 2.  Be sure that your attic is properly ventilated along the soffits and ridge.  The idea is for the attic to be as cold as it is outside and that the air circulates properly in that space.

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Volume 2, Issue 1, Posted 4:50 PM, 03.20.2011