Your roof is made of a variety of components that work seamlessly together to make up a comprehensive roofing system that protects your home from damage and adds beauty to your exterior. One vital component in your roofing system is your ice and water shield. This waterproof membrane is used to safeguard your roof from water penetration—lengthening the lifespan of your roof and preventing costly damage to your roof decking (located right below your asphalt shingles).
Discover the reasons it’s vital to have an ice and water shield installed on your new roof.
What Is an Ice and Water Shield?
A Fully Adhered Roof Underlayment
An ice and water shield sticks to your roof under your shingles, so it will not blow away in a strong wind or shift when heavy snow or ice rests on it.
A Self-Healing Membrane
When your roofing contractor nails your asphalt shingles on top of your ice and water shield, the membrane seals around each nail, giving you excellent leak protection even when severe weather hits.
Why Should Every Roof Have an Ice and Water Shield Installed?
1. To Prevent Leaks
If you don’t have an ice and water shield, you could develop leaks when severe weather hits.
2. To Protect Your Home from Ice Dams
When snow accumulation melts, it flows down your roof toward the edge. But if temperatures drop before the snow has completely melted, the runoff refreezes into ice. When temperatures warm up again, the layer of ice takes longer to melt than the snow behind it. So instead of melting, it becomes a dam, keeping back newly melted water, pushing it up the slope of your roof and under your shingles—where moisture damage occurs.
Ice damming is common, but it doesn’t have to cause leaks. When heavy snow hits the Indy area, it’s common for roofing contractors to hear from homeowners that their roof is leaking water into their home. The culprit is ice damming. When ice dams form, they won’t wreak havoc on your home if you have an ice and water shield installed when you get a new roof.
3. To Fortify Your House When Severe Weather Hits
Wind-driven rain can cause damage if you don’t have an ice and water shield. When harsh weather comes to Indianapolis, it can lift shingles, leaving an unprotected area on your roof where moisture can easily seep in or push rain under your shingles, causing a leak. But if you have an ice and water shield, the waterproof barrier prevents water from leaking into your house. Instead, it channels water down into your gutter.
Ice and Water Shield Options for Different Roofing Types
There are varying degrees of thickness when it comes to ice and water shields, and they are each made for particular roofing types. Each is effective at protecting your home.
1. Granular or Sand Surface Ice and Water Shield
This is the thinnest type of ice and water shield, yet it does an excellent job at protecting a roof from moisture damage at vulnerable spots.
2. Low Slope Roofing Ice and Water Shield
Smooth surface ice and water shields are used particularly on low slope roofs. So if your roofing has a 2/12, 3/12, or 4/12 pitch, this is the best product for your new roofing.
3. High Heat Ice and Water Shield
This is the thickest ice and water shield product and is made of cotton-like fibers and used on metal roofing. It won’t stick to metal when it contracts and expands due to its makeup, ensuring you won’t have leaks at vulnerable points in your roofing system.
Where Is an Ice and Water Shield Installed and Why?
Ice and water shield is about three feet wide and is placed along the edge of your roof, in roof valleys, around any penetrations, and along any wall that contacts your roof. These are the most vulnerable areas when water or ice accumulates on your roofing. The ice and water shield acts as a protective membrane, safeguarding your roof.
Roof Edges (Rakes and Eaves)
You can prevent leaks from ice damming by adding an ice and water shield at your roof’s edges (its rakes and eaves) if your roof extends two feet past the interior walls of your house. Keep in mind that ice and water shields can only be added when you replace your roof, so be sure to ask your contractor to include it in your roofing system.
Roof Valleys
When two roof facets meet at a slope to form an interior angle, it’s called a roof valley. The primary purpose of a roof valley is to allow water to flow down your roof properly.
Penetrations
A roof penetration refers to any hole that is made through your roof to install a piece of equipment. Common roof penetrations are plumbing vents, skylights, chimneys, and AC units.
Low Pitch Roofs
When a roof has a 2/12, 3/12, or 4/12 pitch, it should have an ice and water shield installed to prevent leaks.
Should My Whole Roof Be Covered in Ice and Water Shield?
Your whole roof doesn’t need to have an ice and water shield over it. This protective membrane simply needs to be placed in the vulnerable areas of your roof. Covering your whole roof with it wouldn’t allow your roof to breathe like it needs to.
Get Reliable Roofing for Your Greater Indianapolis Home
You can bypass the problems with roof leaks other Indy homeowners experience by hiring Craftsman Exterior Remodeling to install your next roof. Why? Because we install ice and water shields on all roof replacements that we do. This is something that not many roofing companies do in the area, and it is not required by code, but there are many benefits to doing this step to ensure your new roof will last. Take a moment to learn more about how our roofing services can safeguard your home from moisture damage.
