What is an ice dam, and can it hurt my house?

When snow hits your roof, at first it melts and drips to the edge of the roof or gutter. Here it refreezes, since it has left the heat coming from your house. During heavy storms or hard winters, this ice can build up causing an ice dam that keeps the accumulated water on the roof from dripping off. At first, it looks like a lot of icicles forming together, but eventually, it builds up high enough to form a dam. When water hits this dam, it is forced backward under shingles or into cracks in your roof. Eventually, it can refreeze, expanding those cracks, and eventually will leak into your house, causing an immense amount of damage to your roof and house interior.

Can ice dams be prevented?

Fortunately, ice dams do not have to be allowed to get to this damaging state. If ice dams are removed from your roof in a timely manner, damage can be prevented.

How can I remove my ice dams?

Many homeowners, and even contractors, have tried several different methods to remove ice dams that have actually caused more damage to the house. Getting up on your roof with a shovel is not only dangerous to you, but can cause damage to your roof and shingles. Using a hose to spray more water on the dams to melt them only adds more water to an area that needs water removed, not added. This can cause worse leaks in your roof. Many contractors will use pressure washers to use high pressure to remove the ice dams. Again, this adds much more water, but adds it at such high pressure that it is pushing water under the singles or facia.

We do not use a pressure washer, but a steamer that is designed specifically to remove ice dams. By using very high temperatures, we are able to safely melt the ice that is on your roof without adding more water to the water problem. This is the method that insurance companies prefer, because it prevents damage from the ice dam without causing damage through the removal method. Unfortunately, the high cost of this specialized equipment causes most contractors to stick with the pressure washing method. But we have found that it is worth the cost of the equipment to ensure that our customers get the best ice dam removal care.