Ice dams

Jazzy

I live outside of Pittsburgh and we were hit with the biggest snowstorm in almost 20 yrs over the weekend. I have some issues with what I am told are ice dams in my gutters. I never knew what a ice dam was until my brother in law explained it to me.

I have several gutters around my home that have at least 5-7 inches of ice in them.

My question is this. Without doing anything dangerous myself like climbing on the roof in these conditions what can I do to try to eliminate or lessen the ice buildup in the gutters? I read a number of ways from calcium chloride put in socks, pantyhose and thrown on the roof. Ice melt tablets etc etc.

Can anyone please give me some sound, safe advice for eliminating these ice dams? I am already starting to have water leak in my kitchen ceiling from this problem and I need to fix it asap. Any help? Thank you.

Grumpy

Ok first off we had record storms in my area in 2001. People were literally finding their death trying to clean off their roofs. Salt will likely damage the roof materails and will defiently damage any exposed metals including the gutters and roof flashings. Calcium chloride will melt the snow but may also void your shingle warranty so before you do that contact your manufacturer.

Believe it or not but water from your hose will actually melt away alot of the snow and ice. The water is about 40 degrees which is above freezing. You may also be able to find/rent a power washer with a built in water hater.

That'll just fix it this time. What about next time. You need to correct what is causing it. Larger or more downspouts may help. Proper insulation in your attic will likely help. Proper ventilation will be a big bonus. When your roof is/was repalced an ice and water shield is a must, and consider splurging on more than just 3'. It's cheap insurance.

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-Grumpy
Chicago Gutters Chicago Roofing

Jazzy

Grumpy,

Thank you for your advice. I do have a power washer I recently purchased but unfortunately it does not have a built in water heater. My only fear with using water on the roof with my luck is doing damage to the roof. I plan on using a roof rake to get off as much of the heavy snow as I can. Do you think using the hose on the gutters would work better and be better in the long run for the roof and gutters then using the calcium chloride? Also I'm not sure how long it would take to melt that very thick, 6-8 ", of ice in those gutters.

Grumpy

I don't want to really give you any advice that may potentially damage your roof. I doubt a hose will cause any damage. I am not really sure if calcium chloride will damage the roof, I don't think it will, but I know salt will. So calcium chloride is a little bit more gentle.

have you looked into the rental of a heated power washer? BTW power washers usually have attachments that allow you to use them with very very little pressure, which I would recommend.

__________________
-Grumpy
Chicago Gutters Chicago Roofing

Nick Tomich

Doesnt compare to the old days does it grumpy when we used to get snow here by the lake, have to go on the roof and shovel it off.

Bodhisativa

I wouldn't recommend a power wash as this tends to erode your granules and void your warranty in most cases. The recommendation of additional ice & water shield as well as the possibility of de-icing cables in problem areas would be your best alternative. The cables can be run through your eavestrough as well if this is where the build-up tends to start. I'm a professional installer from Canada where we deal with ice damning on a yearly basis. If the damning is being caused from heat loss, it is of course a good idea to address that with additional insulation or increased ventilation depending on the situation.

Custom Creations Inc

Bodhisativa,
I agree with you. Using pressure on a roof and not knowing how to do it will more than likely cause damage. Using your hose connected to your hot water heater may be an option if that's the route you want to take.

Warmsmeallup

You have the problem now and the solution of using heated cables can only be accomplished once all the ice is gone. It a conundrum! However, cables on the roof and in the gutters and downspouts will help greatly.

They come in two types: Self Regulating Cable (recommended but more expensive upfront) or MI Cable (single temperature, cheaper). The self regulating will adjust its temperature along the cable length based on contact with ice or snow being more cost efficient. The MI cable just gets warm all over.

You can even take it a step further and conserve energy by installing them inline with a moisture/temperature sensor that will turn the system on/off based on it's design.

Warmsmeallup

There actually are products that prevent the problem. You may not be aware of them. Though they are electric, they are low voltage and work UNDER the roofing materials to prevent the buildup of any snow where they are installed. You do still need to heat the gutters with cable to keep it flowing to the ground but these system work in tandem via moisture/temperature sensors that automatically activate them when the temps are below 36 degrees and then wet. Both criteria have to be met to activate the system. When the temps rise or the snow stops falling the system shuts off.

I have been to many projects where the ice dams have lifted the ice and water sheild along with the plywood substrate to get water in the home. And, any electrical device installed incorrectly is dangerous, even a lamp! However, as I said, these elements are install UNDER the roofing materials so they are not exposed to the elements or people with roof rakes. Roof rakes are no longer needed.



Check out Zmesh for under asphalt or membrane and Tuff Cable Heatsink for under metal roofs. Then we'll talk more.