Ice dams are a common issue that can cause significant damage to a home, including roof leakage and collapse. They are formed by a ridge of ice at the edge of a roof, which prevents melting snow from draining off the roof. The water that backs up behind the dam can leak into a home and cause damage to walls, ceilings, insulation, and other areas.
Ice dams can be a homeowner’s worst nightmare, as they can lead to serious and expensive house damage if not removed in time. The most common length of an ice dam removal job is 4-6 hours, but the duration may vary greatly. The trapped water they harbor can leak into the home, leading to multiple types of damage, such as paint peeling or blistering.
Ice damming typically occurs when an attic’s warmth causes the roof surface to rise above freezing after a heavy snowfall. In cases where the ice dam goes unnoticed for an extended period of time, it can do significant damage to the building and its contents. It can weaken the roof decking, structural beams, and rafters until they are no longer capable of bearing sufficient weight.
Iccesses can also cause uneven roofs, which can be a sign of a potential problem. If left untreated, ice dams can cause significant damage to the roof, gutters, paint, insulation, and other areas of the home. To prevent ice dams, homeowners should take proper precautions, follow ANSI/IICRC standards, and take necessary steps to prevent their formation and mitigation.
📹 Exterior Ice Damming Can Cause Interior Damage
The race is on to keep melting ice out of area homes. Homeowners are clearing their roofs of snow, trying to get rid of ice dams …
How do professionals remove ice dams?
Ice dams can be temporarily removed by a roofing professional using hot water, heat cables, or snow removal. Hot water is used to gently melt the ice dam, allowing it to drain out through the gutters. Heat cables can be installed on the roof during summertime and can be used in cold weather to melt the ice dam. They may be recommended for roof planes facing north with low sun in winter, as excess water becomes an ice dam more easily.
Removing snow is another option, as the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) recommends leaving some snow on the roof to prevent damage to the shingles. Only a professional can safely remove snow from the roof with a shovel, and they must be very careful.
It is essential to consult with a professional roofer about how best to remove your ice dam, as less-experienced roofers or general contractors may attempt to remove ice in an unsafe way. A guide explaining how a professional can safely remove ice dams with hot water can help.
Step one involves placing a ladder safely next to the portion of the roof with the ice dam, following ladder safety protocol, and directing hot water onto the roof. It may take some time, but the ice will eventually melt. The roofers should avoid aiming the pressurized water directly against the shingles, as this could cause damage.
Once the ice has melted, the roofer should ensure that all chunks of ice have cleared the gutters to prevent a gutter clog.
How long does it take for ice dams to form?
The formation of an ice dam on a roof typically occurs within a 24-hour period, with an average thickness of 4-6 inches and a span of at least one overhang on one side. The smallest ice dam is approximately 3 inches thick and 1 foot wide, often found in a roof valley, and is typically the result of a combination of environmental factors.
Can ice dams cause mold?
Ice dams cause mold by allowing water and moisture to leak into homes due to ice buildup. Mold thrives on moisture and feeds on materials like wood, drywall, wallpaper, carpet, and ceiling tiles. The temperature needed for mold growth is 5 degrees to 38 degrees, and as long as these ingredients are present, mold will form and continue to grow, compromising the structural integrity of the home. Ice dams form when heat escapes into the attic, providing the temperature needed for mold growth.
However, daily activities like cooking, laundry, showering, and washing dishes should not cause problems unless the attic is properly insulated. Condensation in the attic is primarily caused by inadequate ventilation in kitchens and bathrooms, and builders’ negligence, which may have designed homes to send vapor from bathroom and dryer vents into attics, crawl spaces, or overhangs, leading to excess heat and moisture accumulation.
How do you remove an ice dam without damaging the roof?
Steam is the most effective method for removing ice dams from your roof without damaging it or your home. Steamers create enough heat to melt ice but do not directly heat the roof or apply force. DIY ice dam removal is expensive and dangerous, with a decent off-the-shelf steamer costing around $4, 000. However, hiring a professional ice dam removal company with professional-grade steamers and experience is the least-bad option for most people.
They can ensure that your insulation is fixed and that you don’t have to worry about ice dam removal next winter. Hiring a professional ice dam removal company is the least-bad option for most people, as they have the experience and professional steamers to handle the job safely and efficiently.
What happens if you dont remove ice dams?
An ice dam is a ridge of ice that forms at the edge of a roof, preventing melting snow from draining off the roof. This water can leak into a home, causing damage to walls, ceilings, insulation, and other areas. The moisture from ice dams can lead to mold and mildew growth, causing respiratory problems. To prevent these issues, it is crucial to dry out wet or damp areas, remove water sources, clean the home environment, and maintain air quality.
Should I worry about ice dams?
The formation of ice dams increases the risk of water seeping into attics, which in turn reduces the R-value and heat-retaining capacity of insulation and potentially causes structural damage if left unchecked.
Do ice dams cause permanent damage?
Ice dams can cause permanent damage to your home or business if the damage is severe enough to necessitate gutting or rebuilding. If water leaks damage drywall, insulation, ceiling material, and woodwork, it may become a gut job or even a financial necessity to remove and start over. An electrical fire caused by water, resulting from roof leaks, is another example where permanent damage may occur.
How to get rid of ice dams on a house?
Ice dams, which form from roof eaves, can cause severe damage if not removed promptly. To prevent this, it is essential to remove them promptly. To do this, use a roof rake to rake the roof from top to bottom, use ice melt in old socks or pantyhose, hose with tap water, use warm water, or break dams with a mallet. It is crucial to call a professional when ice dams are present to prevent further damage. Using a roof rake, ice melt, tap water, warm water, or a mallet can help remove ice dams effectively.
Can ice dams form without gutters?
Ice dams, despite popular belief, do not cause ice dams to form. Instead, they concentrate ice from the dam in vulnerable areas, allowing parts of the house to peel away under the weight of the ice. Ice dams cause water leaks from the roof into the building envelope, leading to rotted roof decking, walls, framing, respiratory illnesses, reduced insulation effectiveness, and peeling paint. Wet insulation does not work well, and chronically wet insulation will not decompress even when dries. Without working insulation, more heat escapes to the roof, leading to more ice dams and leaks. This can occur long after the ice dam has melted, not directly related to the dam.
What does ice dam damage look like?
An ice dam is a dangerous condition that can cause significant damage to your roof and home during the snowy winter months. It is formed when water from melting snow freezes into ice at the edge of your roofline. Without proper roof snow removal, the ice may grow large enough to prevent proper drainage from the roof, causing water to back up underneath roof shingles and enter your home. Most ice dams develop on the edge of your roof, but they may also form in other locations depending on the slope, orientation, and style of your roof. It is crucial to monitor the weather and your roof for signs of ice dam formations to protect your home and prevent potential damage.
📹 Ice Dam Issues
Do You Have Ice Dam Problems? If your home has a steep sloped roof, and is more than 20 years old, there is a high probability …
Hi Robert. I appreciate your efforts, but I disagree on two very important things you say here. First… if you clear snow off the bottom 3′-4′ as suggested, be prepared for a new ice dam at the new snow line. Often there is no ice guard up there, and it will leak. Second, never use a hammer to hack ice up on a roof. Shingles are cold and brittle and will easily be damaged. Besides, these ‘channels’ you make will freeze up again overnight and you have what you started with. And I guess one more thing. . . every manufacturer of ice and water shield membranes had lots and lots of failures this winter. Wish they were reliable, but they aren’t.
I lived in Stockbridge Mass when I was a kid. We had a three story house and one winter in the mid 1960’s we had a 3 story icicle. It was 5 inches in diameter at the bottom. I was very young and I went out and broke it. I don’t remember the structural consequences of that but I imagine it didn’t do the gutter much good seeing it was a few feet wide at the top.
Hi Robert….Thanks for the info…appreciate the efforts!…Question?….I have a Cape Cod style home, two dormers in the front, with a fairly flat rubber membrane roof over the front porch. To prevent ice damming on the rubber roof would (or advisable) it work if I placed calcium chloride filled nylons inside the gutter all the way across the front of the porch BEFORE it snows and leave them throughout the Winter season?
Thank you Robert. I have been following you through your newsletter and youtube for years. I really appreciated the thoughtful and in depth discussion. For years, the knee jerk reaction to any discussion on ice dams has been “all you need to do is insulate and ventilate”. No doubt, the insulation and roofing manufacturers have had much to do with keeping this mantra alive. There are certainly cases when that is absolutely needed. But, as you have pointed out, and we have been saying for years, complex roof design is a huge factor that will not be helped by those efforts. You also pointed out that ‘air sealing’ is vital and should be the first step. So many skip this step because of the difficulty in doing it properly. Here at Edge Melt Systems, we get so many inquiries on how to solve ice dam problems. While we do manufacture roof and valley radiant heat panels, air sealing is always part of the discussion. Thank you again for the article.