Ice Dams

[jleslie48]

well this is my solution:

youtube video id=OKIrwQRsAlo

note I also have 5 skylights in my roof. The roof is gonna have melting. period.

[jleslie48]

just got brand new roof vents put in and they don't do anything. Big waste of time. the ice dams are just as big. You need heat tape to cut through the ice and allow the water to pour off. This has the added benefit of not wasting your heat in the house and the increased cost of heating your home.

[jumplover]

Roof vents only work properly if you have open soffit vents and sufficient insulation. You are not wasting much heat in your home by holding it in your attic... it has already left the living space at that point. The additional heat in your attic is the only cause of ice dams. You have to melt the snow before it becomes ice! The heat wires are a fix assuming that the problem will occur. Cooling the attic prevents or greatly reduces the problem to start with.

[jumplover]

If you believe that a warmer attic saves heating costs, then it would also make sense that a cooler attic saves cooling costs in the summer. The difference here is that a cool attic in the summer does not cause damage to your home.

[jumplover]

One other thing... the heat wires need to be installed properly or they can cause more problems. Wherever they end, ice will form. The wires need to be connected at all points and run all the way to the ground. This includes running them through the gutters and downspouts. It is really important to follow the directions. 80% of these wires I have seen are incorrectly installed.

[jleslie48]

Well I will freely admit the biggest problem I have is where I have a vaulted ceiling. Meantime hot air rises, and cold air falls. when the difference between the attic temp and the main living area is less, that's less hot air that rises, aka, less heat loss. I know this is true from the summer months, I can actually feel the draft from the ceiling ac vents as the cool air rushed down the stairs to the downstair's area.

[jumplover]

Ahhhh... vaulted ceiling. THAT is a huge problem. There is no "attic" space to cool down. Even worse if proper vents (mentioned below) were not installed. Very tough situation. Maybe properly installed heat wires in that area would help. Another permanent fix for those tricky spots is standing seam metal roofing or snow slides that reach above the vaulted area. When properly installed metal roofing can not leak, even when water backs up. Good luck.

[antyme2]

Roofbutcher----What manufacture calls the shingle underlayment with a sticky back (most commonly known as ice and water shield) ice belt?

Google ice belt and see what you get.

[AudiophileTubes]

We recently had ridge and soffit vents installed, in addition to the gable vents we've had all along. We also had a good amount of insulation blown into the attic floor, which already had old fiberglas batting. Shockingly, we still got huge ice dams and icicles hanging off the roof and gutters! I'm thinking that since we got a lot of snow, the ridge vents seem blocked (snowed over). I'm wondering if this may be a factor in our current ice dam and icicle formation.

[jumplover]

When the blew in the insulation, did they install "proper vents" at the soffit? They are long corrugated or U-shaped foam 12 - 18" wide that hold the insulation away from the back of the roof at the soffit. If that area gets clogged up the whole system won't work, since your soffits are where the cool air is being drawn in as warmer air goes out the gable and ridge vents. It could also be as you thought and the ridge vent could be covered by real heavy snow fall.

[AudiophileTubes]

Thanks for the response. Yes, I did see long vents installed so the insulation could be bypassed. The attic is sealed in this portion of the house, so I could not see if they covered the vent tubes. I went out this morning, and yes, the ridge vents are still covered with snow. I got some 'Heat' ice melter, and am going to put it in a few nylon stockings, so I can melt channels in 2 or 3 places on the roof. We are finally expecting 40 to 45 degree weather over the next few days.

[roofbutcher]

Great video. Every roofer should see this before going nuts with the ice belt.

[99minerkc]

I have been clearing as much as I can with a roof rake(all the way up but 3-4 feet from peak-can't reach it)but we had a very bad ice storm a while back that mess my cleaning up. Anyway, I hired a gut to come break the ice up today! he's working on it now. Thanks for your expert information here!! Very helpful stuff!! :)

[99minerkc]

I have an ice dam bad enough that water is leaking in on warm days. Problem is that it's 1/2 up the roof which is too far for me to get to it with a sledge. You recommend that I fill a sock(with a string attached) with Calcium Clor. and try to toss it up yo the bottom edge of the dam?

[jumplover]

I'm guessing it's halfway up the roof because you cleared the bottom half of snow? Many people do this (I see roofs like this in my neighborhood). What happens is that the rest of the snow on the roof continues to melt against the roof surface, and when that water runs out from under the insulating blanket of snow, it freezes causing an ice dam further up the roof. This can cause even worse damage than at the edge because now it's leaking in the middle of the room .

[jumplover]

I tell people that if you are going to use a snow rake, then you need to clear the entire roof, not just the first 6 feet. This can be accomplished by either getting on the roof (semi dangerous) with a shovel or working off a ladder with a snow rake.

[jumplover]

To answer your original question... I would get on the roof and break some channels in the dam, then remove the rest of the snow. Another option is to use a snow rake from a ladder to remove the rest of the snow, then get the calcium chloride sock tossed up so that it lays perpindicular across the dam in as many places as possible. This will melt channels that will allow the water behind to escape. And If you have removed the other snow, there is no more future water to create another dam.

[gotransit07]

AS a quick fix could I use the ice melting stuff for sidewalks?

I have got to get busy - this is the worst its ever been!

[jumplover]

You can use the sidewalk type icemelt aka calcium chloride. If you have plants below your eves, the calcium chloride mixing with the melting ice may damage them. I have heard (but never tried) that placing pantyhose "logs" filled with calcium chloride laid perpendicular to the ice dams, and placed every 3 - 4 feet would create channels for the water behind to escape. Also If you have current leaking get up to the edge and beat the ice with a small 3 pound sledge.

[fjayrockst]

i use an axe, ust got done with my roof, gotta do it every 2-3 weeks to keep it from not building up too much

[jumplover]

The small sledge tends to do less damage to the shingles.

[fjayrockst]

i have aluminum edges on my roof so i dont hit shingles, but i still use the backside of the axe, i have a good foot of buildup per week

[jumplover]

Smart move using the back! Obviously you are very careful not to hit the actual aluminum, even the back of the axe could easily puncture it. That aluminum edge you have is called a snow slide. They usually extend approx 3' up from the edge of the roof. If installed properly they create a waterproof leakfree zone for the first 3'. It's a good way to protect an area on your roof that can not get proper ventilation, for instance a catherdal ceiling that follows the back of the rafters.

[fjayrockst]

yeah im carefull, ive nicked it once but i didnt feel like fixin it, it hasent prooven to be an issue, but now i am carefull, i have good insulation in my attic so it dodent melt from that anymore it just makes dams from when the sun comes out

[gotransit07]

THANK YOU very much for this valuable information!!!! I have exactly this problem. Now I understand what I see at our house.

MM

[jumplover]

I've been a contractor for 30 yrs. and have used the sledge method many times on many roofs. It allows the water behind the dams to literally come rushing out immediately upon breaking a channel. This is only necessary if water is currently leaking into your home.