As we continue to deal with snow on the ground, some of us might also have to deal with snow on the roofs of our homes.

Jefferson Building Official Nick Sorensen says a concern to be mindful of are ice dams with icicles forming over gutters and edges of roofs. Ice dams form due to the heat escaping from the dwelling of the home through the roof due to lack of insulation. This causes ice and snow to melt to the gutter and freeze, then it will continually freeze up the roof and the ice will eventually find itself inside the home.

Sorensen recommends safely removing the icicles from the gutters. He points out to not necessarily knock them off from standing on the ground, because the weight of some of the icicles could cause the gutter to pull away from the soffit and then water won’t be caught in the gutter and taken away from the home. If icicles are on the second story of the home or if there is heavy frozen snow on a rooftop that a homeowner can’t safely remove, Sorensen suggests contacting a trusted contractor to remove it.