Ice dams

Well the frozen water main calls have seemed to of slowed a bit this last week. Still getting one about every other day. Now it looks like the next fun of winter is setting in. Ice dams. Been in my house 20 years and friday night was the 1st time we have ever had a issue with this. Water started leaking in over one of the windows on the south side of the house. Brother in law had the same issue last week. Guess it is the season. Got the girls to climb up and shovel off a good part of the roof yesterday. I was a little worried about getting my big but up there and taking the entire roof with all the snow on it down. Seems to have fixed the problem so far.

Im ready for spring.

I had my son over to do the tedious task of getting snow of the roof(I’m still recovering from elbow surgery)Fortunately the icing was in the gutters and just about 10 inches onto the roof over the soffit. Hope that lets things clear.

I guess I wonder how many of you out there use those ‘heat-strips’ and gutter heating devices to keep things from icing?

I’m more concerned about flooding in this house once it starts to warm. The laundry room foundation has leaked in the past. Hopefully I can get out and shovel it when it starts to thaw….in May.

They sell roof salt in a bucket. A tad smaller than a hockey puck size. Safe to use according to a roofing guy I know. Simply toss a few up into the areas with snow or ice. After a day or so of good sun all the snow/ice melts off. It does a good job IMHO!!

Has anyone tried those ice melt things you throw on the roof? They’re the size of a charcoal briket. I’ve been doing the roof rake but have a lot of ice.

I work for a construction company and the amount of roof leaks we are seeing is off the charts this last few weeks and will be getting much worse over the next month.

The cause of ice dams is most frequently some combination poor attic air sealing and inadequate attic insulation and ventilation.

Fix the insulation, ventilation issues and you will not have to deal with ice dams going forward. If you do not correct the issues you may well be fighting them each and every year.

The expense is really quite a good investment when you consider the current utility rebates of $300-$650, tax credits and the fact that you will save approx. 20% on your heating and cooling expense for as long as you own your house.

U of M Building Sciences Ice Dam Prevention info

I’ve heard of people loading up pantyhose with salt and placing them onto their roofs, good reviews of that cheapo system.

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I’ve heard of people loading up pantyhose with salt and placing them onto their roofs, good reviews of that cheapo system.

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Tried that last year, for me, this seems to be the most reliable solution. jerr

My neighbor is shoveling off his roof right now because of a leak,do you know if that roof salt works?

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My neighbor is shoveling off his roof right now because of a leak,do you know if that roof salt works?

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Yes, the ROOF MELT pucks work great,

Sure they get pricey but so do roof and ceiling repairs.

ROOF MELT link

Just get them up near the ice and the melt will start working,

although the Sub-zero temps will slow them down a bit.

I rake the edge and then toss these onto the ice edges and a few more in the gutter

PS: No climbing on the roof

Thanks Carroll58!

I used to do roofing for a living. We ran 2 steamers when needed and controlled many problems with shovels and salting. I can honestly say that the pucks of salt are the biggest joke out there. All they do is dig a hole straight down to the roof. If you dont believe me get some, place them then check the area in 2 days.

There is NO EASY WAY around the issue. You need to get up there and clear the snow from the roof. At least 4′ above any dam. Then load the area with salt. You will hear many people say you cant use salt saying it will cause damage to the shingles. BS. The salt is on the shingles a very short while, perhaps if you were to keep salt on the shingles all year it would cause issues but in the scope of everything it is a short while. I like to use the colored salts to keep track of how much and where it has been placed.

That was my next ? Mark, if they spread out or not. I’ve owned the roof rake for years and use it as needed. I’ll try salt since it’s already on hand.
Don’t have this problem at the lake, another reason to move!

Thanks, im gonna try some

I’ll try some regular ice melt 1st, thanks for the input

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I used to do roofing for a living. We ran 2 steamers when needed and controlled many problems with shovels and salting. I can honestly say that the pucks of salt are the biggest joke out there. All they do is dig a hole straight down to the roof. If you dont believe me get some, place them then check the area in 2 days.

There is NO EASY WAY around the issue. You need to get up there and clear the snow from the roof. At least 4′ above any dam. Then load the area with salt. You will hear many people say you cant use salt saying it will cause damage to the shingles. BS. The salt is on the shingles a very short while, perhaps if you were to keep salt on the shingles all year it would cause issues but in the scope of everything it is a short while. I like to use the colored salts to keep track of how much and where it has been placed.

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agree completely. those ice pucks don’t do a DAMN thing to help the ice dam. if anything, they make the problem worse. panty hose filled with salt at least creates a channel for the water to escape….but you have to keep up with it, especially during a winter as hellish as this one. along with raking or shoveling some of the snow off, it’s the only way to manage the problem. that is, unless you have mega bucks to spend on the alternative.

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I’ve been keeping my parents roof clear with a snow roof rake. It’s almost effortless and does a great job – no climbing needed.

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I rake mine after each significant snowfall, and there is no way I would refer to it as “almost effortless”! Better than the alternative, though.

Through my rake away a couple of years ago. Moving it around the garage was the most use it ever got. Maybe should of found something else to through out that day.

Maybe I missed it but I am surprised no one has talked about the heat tape type application for the eaves of an ice dam problem house.

My mothers old 2 story house–130 years old–had very little insulation and very poor ventilation. Ice dams were a foot or more thick many years before we got up there and shoveled etc. Then one fall we installed, around the entire house, heat tapes( designed for roof application). Installed correctly, they run up and down in a triangular fashion–about 3ft. up the roof and down to the edge of the roof/gutters. Clips to the bottom edge of the shingles hold them up there. ( best if clipped on in fall or summer when the shingle is soft and warm versus frozen and hard) We ran them inside the gutters too.

Never had ice dams again as they lasted for years! Plugged them in for the first snowfall and left them on all winter. Initial cost is around a $1 per linear foot and are easily installed. We left them up there year ’round–unplugged, obviously, in the spring/summer/fall.

Might be a good bet for next winter? Based on what I’ve seen, I’d take that bet.

Might be doing that at my place Steve. Had gutter installed last summer with leaf guards on them. This winter is the 1st ice dam issues we have ever had. Heat tape might be the solution. Looks like a trip into the attic is in my future also to see what might be going on there.

Best to install the heat tapes when it is warm out–September or earlier?. That way, the coils/bends/loops in the wires lay down flat on the shingles by the time the snow hits.

I’ve been meaning to do that for years, but there isn’t any dams in Sept!! (and I forget about it)

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I’ve been meaning to do that for years, but there isn’t any dams in Sept!! (and I forget about it)

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Bk–I said and did the same thing for years with my mothers house. Then one day in the middle of the ice dam season, I bought the heat tapes and set them out so I wouldn’t forget to install them in the summer/early fall heat. Took me a few years of ice dams on her house ( that was after my dad died so then I was the one to shovel the snow off) to get that far….but it finally got done and problem solved. Buy now–install later.

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Through my rake away a couple of years ago. Moving it around the garage was the most use it ever got. Maybe should of found something else to through out that day.

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Wasted a good net extension. When the water drops way below the fishing piers on the river I put one or even two extensions, most cheap nets pop the cap off, drill the hole and the poles click right in!

What brand are people using on their shingles and gutters? I need to do this to my mom’s house this summer. Menards?
DT

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Through my rake away a couple of years ago. Moving it around the garage was the most use it ever got. Maybe should of found something else to through out that day.

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Wasted a good net extension. When the water drops way below the fishing piers on the river I put one or even two extensions, most cheap nets pop the cap off, drill the hole and the poles click right in!

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There is a chance it might be located with my auger extension. That was another item that spent much more time being moved around the garage than used. Just cant seem to locate it either.

[Quote]Plugged them in for the first snowfall and left them on all winter.

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Sorry, but for that $50 a month you are spending on electricity to power the heat tape you could have blown a couple feet of insulation and added new vents and been ahead in 2 years. Not to mention the heat loss in the home that is still going out the roof.

Heat tape should be considered a last resort if all else fails.

^This
Rent a blower/hopper for a few bucks,from Menards, and blow it yourself this spring.

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[Quote]Plugged them in for the first snowfall and left them on all winter.

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Sorry, but for that $50 a month you are spending on electricity to power the heat tape you could have blown a couple feet of insulation and added new vents and been ahead in 2 years. Not to mention the heat loss in the home that is still going out the roof.

Heat tape should be considered a last resort if all else fails.

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No doubt your right for the most part. We actually put a meter on the tapes and it came to about a $1.00 per day or about $100-$120 per winter. Bids to winterize that old house correctly were several $1000. So looking at that upfront cost to fix the issues in that 130 year old home and the disruption to an old ladies life ( she lived in that house for 61 yeas) with a mess for a few days or more was a choice she made. In the long run, you are right. But for her, this was the easy fix and not so expensive looking at it for a buck a day versus one check for several $1000. Her house, her $$ and her comfort level at 80-95 years old, in the end made it right and might for others too.

The ice dam problems she had got fixed…

Just some food for thought but given the right circumstances,the right amount of snow and the right temps,ice dams are hard to prevent besides just getting the snow off the roof.