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Comments
Kathy Hatton
12 Dec 2007, 21:33
HELP! The ice dams on my roof have me worried. Leakage is occuring at an
interior patio door, 4' away from the gutters. I have electrical coil on 2
areas but they almost seem to make matters worse. Today I used a roof rake
and climbed up a ladder and removed the large V-shaped, 3" sheets of ice
around the cables. Now I see icicles forming on the front porch wall - 5'
away from the gutters. Does it pay to try and pull away more snow? Should
I put stockings filled with ice melting crystals in the gutters? Tommorrow
morning I plan on trying to locate the roof vents and using the roof rake,
expose them. This spring I'll blow in more insulation in the attic. Should
I consider making the roof vents taller? Hate to wake up with
stalagtight type icicles hanging over my head! Appreciate any suggestions.
Thankyou - K.
AsktheBuilder
15 Dec 2007, 09:52
Kathy,
Please read *all* of my Ice Dam columns. The solution is to install the
membranes. There is nothing you can do to stop the freezing of the melt
water. You should only concern yourself with stopping any potential leaks.
Betty Forsythe
18 Dec 2007, 08:20
I have an ice buildup and water that is leaking in my kitchen window- roof
was replaced 2 years ago and supposedly had ice shield installed.
Is there any way to stop the water NOW?
AsktheBuilder
18 Dec 2007, 08:30
Betty,
The only way to stop the water *now* is to melt the ice dam on the roof.
The roofer obviously did not install the membrane correctly and/or has a
poor understanding of how far above and below the gutter line it *should*
have been installed.
Krista Stoiber
18 Dec 2007, 10:34
Help! We have a slate tile roof on and older house and we are having some
ice buildup. It is seeping into various parts of the house now. My
husband has used a roof rake, and electrical coil with no perminant
results. We have buckets setup throughout the house and he is outside
trying to break if off with the hammer (very carefully) Any other options
you can suggest for us? Will throwing some salt on it help or damage?
Please help! Any suggestions will help!!
Krista
AsktheBuilder
18 Dec 2007, 14:13
Krista,
Read ALL of my Ice Dam columns. The answers you need are there.
mike
19 Dec 2007, 07:20
today i noticed water dripping from under my roof edge. the roof extened
about 2 feet from the house and where the bathroom vent air tube blows out
is where ice is froming. what can i do
AsktheBuilder
19 Dec 2007, 07:39
Mike,
When the weather moderates, consider installing the membrane discussed in
this column.
CHUCK DUMAS
20 Dec 2007, 20:25
I TAKE CARE OF A LARGE CODO DEVELOPMENT AND HAVE A PROBLEM WITH ICE DAMS ,
THE WATER RUNNING OVER THE FROZEN GUTTER IS THE PROBLEM BECAUSE IT FALLS ON
WALKWAYS AND STAIRS AND REFREEZES AND CAUSES PROBLEMS THEY INSTALLED
ELEC, HEAT TAPE BUT SEEMS NOT TO MELT ICE AND SNOW FAST ENOUGH , SHOULD I
SNOW RAKE EVERYTIME IT SNOWS ? OR WHAT ELSE CAN I DO TO PREVENT IT RUNNING
OVER THE GUTTER ?
AsktheBuilder
20 Dec 2007, 21:38
Chuck,
To stop the ice, you must remove the snow. It is very dangerous to do so.
Lisa
05 Jan 2008, 14:17
I'd like your opinion on the use of a roof rake. I live in WI where heavy
snow and ice build up on the roof. After a very heavy snow, I used a roof
rake to remove snow from about the lower 4' of roof. All this did was
cause the ice dams to form higher up on the roof all along the edge of the
snow that had not been removed. As a result, we now have water leaking
into our home along that line, which is higher than the ice shield membrane
apparently. I never knew use of a roof rake could result in the ice dams
forming at the edge of the remaining snow. Should I throw away my roof
rake, or just use it to remove the snow on the bottom 6-12" of my roof?
AsktheBuilder
06 Jan 2008, 08:57
Lisa,
That happens all of the time for the reasons I outline in all of my columns
on ice dams. You exposed the shingles to the cold - the snow was providing
an insulating effect - and the meltwater froze on the first cold thing it
hit. Stop using it and install the membrane as I suggest in the spring.
Lynn
12 Jan 2008, 08:35
We continue to have problems with ice damns and water entering the house
through the first floor (it is a two story 1955 colonial). Water seems to
be dripping down behind the siding and entering first floor. We have
applied many of the techniques you suggested above (venting, sealing,
ice/water shield). Our roofer said that there is a 'fire wall' at the top
which is preventing ventilation from getting through facia into the attic
so moisture builds up through the soffets in the facia. Have you ever
heard of this? If so, what can we do?
AsktheBuilder
12 Jan 2008, 11:05
Lynn,
If you have water coming inside and you installed an ice membrane, then the
installer goofed up. When the membranes are installed correctly, the melt
water STAYS outside.
Chris G
06 Feb 2008, 12:59
I have severe ice dams forming on all edges of my roof and water coming in
throught the ceiling and wall. I called a contractor and he recommends
building a sub-roof. Would this solve the problem? How does it compare to
a membrane?
AsktheBuilder
06 Feb 2008, 16:41
Chris,
Please read *all* of my Ice Dam columns. Then do what I suggest.
Tammy
13 Feb 2008, 18:47
I know this may sound stupid but what if you were to use a hose with hot
water to melt the ice dam. I know it is a quick fix for now but would it
in anyway hurt the shingles or roof? One contractor suggested throwing ice
melt up on the roof. That makes me a little nervous. Any thoughts would
be helpful.
AsktheBuilder
15 Feb 2008, 08:37
Tammy,
That will work, but you always need to work backwards or up the roof as you
melt the ice. If you start at the top, you can create a flood indoors.
Deicing salts will not hurt the shingles, but may cause corrosion of any
metal on the roof.
Steven Briesemeister
25 Apr 2008, 07:34
Betty Forsythe - Installation of ice and water shield is not always the
answer to stop or prevent leakage due to icedam, there could be other
factors involved such as:
1. Improper ventilation consisting of intake and exhaust vents.
2. There's a very good chance the gutter above the window is improperly
pitched.
3. Also, the gutter spikes holding the gutter into place may be fastened in
a downward postion.
Heidi
27 Apr 2008, 10:58
Is there a special under brick flashing that is used to prevent leaking
where the porch meets the main structure. The porch was built as an actual
part of the house. It was built as an extension of the framing. We are
having leaking issues where the roof has not been installed only tar paper.
Is there special flashing that should go under the actual brick? Can a
good roofer solve this? It is our fear that the mason did not put flashing
under the brick and a roofer cannot fix this! We were told that the porch
should be built afer the house is initially framed and bricked. Is this
true? Our friends used lag bolts through the brick to attach the porches.
The porches ( front and back ) are the entir length of the house pretty
much. Thank you,
Heidi
Heid
27 Apr 2008, 11:01
I forgot to give you my e-mail address in my question about leaking
porches.
Thanks,
Heidi
maryann foskett
10 Aug 2008, 06:12
when you talk about a membrane product for ice damming, is thier a specfic
product name when i go to home depot or lowes and does this get installed
from the inside of the roof. afraid of heights.
thank you
maryann foskett
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