Cold. Cold. Cold. It's like a broken record. An extreme cold it has been. Will it ever end? February has surely left us with a roar. Let's hope March comes in and leaves like a lamb. But the elements have never stopped the revelers celebrating St. Patrick's Day. The one day everyone is Irish. Look for the Irish stew recipe in this newsletter. It will surely warm your bones. 

The month of March has no shortage of national official or unofficial observances. From the truly deserved to the - who makes this stuff up? Which ones will you be celebrating? Here's a short list: National Nutrition Month, Women's History Month, Optimism Month, Red Cross Month, National Kite Month, Noodle Month, National Name Tag Day, National Open An Umbrella Indoors Day, and finally you can wish complete strangers a "Happy Awkward Moment Day".

...And looking ahead to April, it's National Plumbers Month. Seriously, I'm not making this up. So thank an Aiello plumber on the 25th or any day of the year. It's very much appreciated.

Ice Dams

This winter's weather has been brutal on New Englanders. One just has to look up at the gutters of homes and there you see them - icicles. They may look beautiful but sometimes they are a sign of bigger problems like ice dams. Ice dams can cause water damage inside the home. 

• Icicles that hang from your home's gutters are the kind that you need to monitor. If you have inadequate insulation or improper ventilation in your roof and soffits, the heated air will escape through the roof and melt the snow. As the melted snow hits the cold gutters, it turns to ice, creating an ice dam.
• If there is no heat to remove that ice, then the ice continues to build and creates extremely long icicles. The icicles and ice dam add weight to your gutters that could tear the gutters from the house, causing significant damage. The ice can also get under your shingles and begin to leak inside your home, causing water damage.
• Reduce icicles in your gutters by having the insulation in your home analyzed by a professional contractor. The contractor will let you know how much insulation you need.
• Heat tape inside your gutters and along the edge of your roof can also help to prevent ice dams and icicles. Heat tape wraps an electrical wire around water pipes and the wire can be heated. Since heat tape is tricky stuff, hire a pro to install it to make sure it's done properly.
• Don't try using a hammer or rake to knock large icicles off your gutters or remove ice dams. Hitting the ice in your gutters with a hammer will cause more pressure on your gutters and could make the gutters collapse. Large icicles can be unpredictable when they fall, causing injury to you or damage to your home.

The most effective way to eliminate ice dams is to stop snowmelt by making the roof colder. This can be achieved by insulating the floor of the attic and under the roof, and by blocking all crevices where warm air from the interior can rise into the attic.

If possible, keep snow off the roof with a snow rake. Use a roof rake or push broom to reduce the amount of snow that could melt. Do not climb on the roof to clear the snow as serious injury may result. Also, be cautious of electrical wires.