Ice Dam Removal

[fishwidow]

Anybody had any good luck or experiences removing ice dams? I know how to prevent them, but need to help someone else who already has them. My thoughts are heat gun and chisel. Any other ideas?

Thanks.

[Down Deep]

I once owned a house that had ice dams and this is what I did. Start by removing the snow above the dams to eliminate any additional accumulation of ice. Its best to let them sit for a day or two to allow the house to loosen them up with the lost heat coming thorough the roof. Then take a steel hammer and start gradually chipping the ice until you carve a groove in the ice and get near the shingles. Be very careful not hit the shingles or go too fast. After you have the initial groove start chipping the ice down the rest of the roof line. It should loosen up and break off on in chunks, but be careful not to go too fast to avoid damage to the shingles. Leave a layer of ice on the shingles and it will melt off as long as there is no snow above it. There may be better methods, but this worked well for me.

[BobT]

There are heat tapes available designed for keeping ice dams from building up. If you have a problem, maybe this is a potential alternative.

I would also recommend getting a roof rake so you can pull the snow off the roof without getting up there. This can help prevent the ice dam from getting to be a problem.

If possible, consider having your attic insulation checked to be sure it is sufficient and that your attic is vented adequately. In the winter your attic should be cold. A warm attic will melt the snow from the bottom up and as the water gets down to the cold eve it freezes and this is what causes your ice dam. Even a perfectly insulated attic will not prevent this completely but it helps and it reduces your heating bill at the same time.

Do you have gutters? Perhaps removing them in the fall will also help. In my opinion gutters are an ice trap and I won't have them on my home, but that's my opinion. Too many times I've seen or had to replace the lower couple feet of roof sheathing and in all cases, it was where there were gutters on the eves.

[deerminator]

You may also want to talk to a professional if you can get someone out there to at least give you an estimate and advice. Having them do it once and you watching may be cheaper than you doing it yourself the first time and damaging the roof. I know I have often wished I had taken this route and have now started doing so.

Bob is correct in the properly insulated attic causing the problem. Correcting that if its not too outrageous would help prevent future occurrances.

Be careful with a roof rake as it could also do more damage to your shingles than good. In terms of removing snow from the roof, it depends on the age of the house or when and how it was built. Most newer homes in Minnesota should have been built to carry heavy snow loads when needed. Our builder told us not to remove snow, even if several feet deep, unless we wanted to gently and carefully pull deep drifts out of the valleys with a rake (not touching the shingles themselves). Older homes may require the snow removal but ice resulting from snow melting and refreezing is the real culprit because it is obviously much heavier in most cases.

I am no expert. I am just going off of what I've read, heard and been told by those who are experts, so take what I say with a grain of salt. I would get someone out there who does this professionally before you start trying to remove it.

[BobT]

My roof rake has rollers on it to protect the roof. I forgot about that. Deerminator's advice about roof rakes is valid if they aren't designed to protect the roofing.

Even on a well insulated home, the snow will still tend to melt and the eves will still be colder than the rest of the roof so some freezing may still occur on the edge of the eves. The snow melts a lot slower and so ice dams are less troublesome.

I would be very weary of using any kind of tool to "hammer" the ice as it is frozen to the shingles and when it lets loose it could tear the shingles with it no matter how careful you are.

[fishwidow]

Thanks for the ideas. This is my mother-in-law's house. I have used the heat tapes on my current and past house, and they do work well.

I have carefully raked excess snow from her house, and it's down to the ice that has accumulated at the roof edge and, yes, Bob, on the gutters.

I think the only alternative now is to actually get some grooves cut, much like the ones the heat tapes create, to give the melting ice a path to flow through rather than work its way back up under the shingles when it refreezes.

Thanks again.

[Mike Wallace]

I just spent all of Sunday (10-5) removing ice dams across the front of my house (60' run of south facing, low-sloped roof). Maybe not the best method, but it worked:

Hooked the hose up to the hot water tap for the washing machine. Put the garden watering wand on the other end and set it to "jet". Spent the rest of the day "cutting" the ice dams out of the gutter and off the roof with the power of hot water. I was soaked and my jacket frozen, but I didn't damage any shingles. My calves are still sore from standing on the ladder, but I'm glad I got them off.

[deerminator]

BTW Bob, I totally agree with you on the gutters. We don't have any mainly because we have so many trees and even with the best gutter guard or whatever, our builder thought they would be more trouble than they were worth in terms of cleaning and what happens during winter as you mentioned. I've had a few people tell me we're nuts and that we'll have foundation and water problems but none so far. With long overhangs, good tile all the way around the perimiter of the house and proper landscaping that slopes away, gutters are by no means necessary.

[zepman]

Liquid ice melt will take care of them...won't prevent them but they'll be gone.

[Steve Foss]

For snow removal from roofs, do a Web search for Minnsnowta Roof Razor. Best product I've ever seen or used. Once the snow has been removed, zepman's option (or the regular ice melt pellets you use on your sidewalk) is the most effective for the least work. I've used the salt pellets several times. Works best on a warmer, sunny day. Combo of sun/warmer day, ice pellets on top and warmth coming up through the roof honeycombs and rots that ice dam and breaks it loose from the shingles PDQ. Then it's a lot easier to pull down the chunks. Sometimes they'll even just fall on their own.

[BobT]

Gutters during the rainy season can be good for channeling water runoff away from the house and reducing erosion around the perimeter but winter is another story.

[DrKen]

Temporary fix you can try is the ice melt. Use calcium chloride for very cold conditions or a combo of calcium, mangnesium chloride. Take a old nylon or panty hose and place the pellets in it and put it on the roof above the ice dams and let it melt the ice dam. They can be left there all winter if needed. Then you can look at attic insulation, and attic venting to prevent it in the future.

[HawgMan]

Hey Steve, Thanks for the info on the Roof Razor! Looks like one slick unit. I ordered on this morning!!

[jigginjim]

I had a ice dam started on my roof. I used a brick layers hammer to remove much of the ice. I used lots fo care in doing it, then done the same to the rain gutts. After I put about 60lbs of rock salt on the edge of the roof and in the gutter. It seems to have helped. the dowwn spout is even starting to flow.

[pinkfloyd4ever]

Temporary fix you can try is the ice melt. Use calcium chloride for very cold conditions or a combo of calcium, mangnesium chloride. Take a old nylon or panty hose and place the pellets in it and put it on the roof above the ice dams and let it melt the ice dam. They can be left there all winter if needed.

Ditto!

[BobT]

When you use salt and then it runs onto your lawn, do you kill the grass?

[Steve Foss]

When you use salt and then it runs onto your lawn, do you kill the grass?

Not so far. No different than roadsides, which get tons of salt all winter long, which leaches off into the ditches and grass. And the ice dam issue should be a one-time thing, since once it's gone it can be prevented by snow removal from the roof.

[jigginjim]

My gutters drain off onto my driveway. So far the Drive is gravel so it will just remove the snow and ice a little faster.

[Whisker Trout Slayer]

This question is directed at the professional roof installers out there. I raked off the valleys home at my moms house as she has some good ice dams. When I got down to the ice I went and spread on some ice melt that you use for the driveway. My brother who is an insurance agent siad that you aren't supposed to put ice melt or any salt on the roof as the shingles will deteriorate faster or it will ruin them.

Is he correct? I don't think so.

[SFC]

I added more roof vents and more soffit vents. Virtualy no ice darns compared to prior years. Search it tons of info. Not sure about the salt, Iam not a roofer. On my roof in past I shoveled the roof, used a hammer on the I darns,I could see every where I had done this, would not recomend doing this.

[no bait nate]

not sure about the shingle deteriorating from the use of salt but i would not doubt it. as far as warranty goes, if your shingles are falling apart and you have a representative from the company out and he asks if you've ever salted your rooftop, it may cause the warranty to be voided.

[Steve Foss]

I'm sure it will damage the shingles if you keep applying salt over time. The point of the salt, IMO, is to get rid of an ice dam that shouldn't have formed in the first place. An ice dam points to any of several problems: Lack of insulation, snow buildup, poor venting or very shallow roof pitch. Once the ice dam is removed, the problem(s) need(s) to be addressed so the ice dams don't return.

With that philosophy, the salt application is a one-time deal that should not hurt the shingles.

[King Canada]

[PoorWordUsage] and it will cut a channel through the dam and keep it open. Or if you have a newer roof with 6 feet of ice and water just ignore it till it goes away.

[King Canada]

Why can't I say old nylon stocking...

[King Canada]

Fill the stocking with salt