Roof Ice

Doug - Iowa · Feb 19, 2010

Hey all, a week or so ago I asked about putting ice melt on the roof where an ice dam had built up. Someone said be sure to let us know how it worked. Well, no luck, ice dam is bigger than ever. Ice melt may have even made it worse. So I can add that one to my growing list of "didn't work" ideas!

Snowing again tonight, 3-5" by tomorrow night. Maybe it will be all gone by August.

Janicholson · Feb 19, 2010

Getting a channel through it to allow it to carve a deeper channel might work if you can get to it. Jim

Firewood · Feb 19, 2010

I use a roof rake to clear the bottom 6-10 feet of the roof of snow in early Jan and just did it yesterday for the second time this winter. It is best to time it when you will get sun for a few days as that takes the ice ridge right off the roof. Yup even in Jan.

MN Scott · Feb 19, 2010

I have a low pitch roof cattle shed that always gets a lot of snow buildup on the south facing side. This time of the year when the sun is getting higher and has more melting power I scoop up some dry dirt from one of the old buildings. I make a windrow of the dirt on the snow and with the wind in the right direction back into it with the snow blower. I blow a little snow with the dirt and cover the roof with a light coating of dirt. The dark dirt heats from the sun and in a couple days the snow melts away. Of course the sun has to be out for this to work.

rocko · Feb 19, 2010

hi Doug. not sure how steep or high your roof is but i have gone up on many roofs for homeowners and broken ice off using claw hammer (claw first) and or flat nose shovel. have to be sorta careful cause can damaged shingles, (ashpalt) dont know if your ice daming is causing leaks for you yet but it can. if you can get some heat tape it will work also but takes awhile to melt through to shingles and may freeze on top of it as it melts through ice. breaking it up and shoveling it down is quickest. careful if you go up there. might wanta tie yourself off.

good luck. rocko

Brian Love · Feb 19, 2010

put heat in attic we do it so we can roof in the winter

JDemaris · Feb 20, 2010

It's always been a problem here in New York. Any house with a roof warmer then the cold, unheated eaves/overhangs has problems. Often, trying to let more heat into the attic to warm the roof will make it worse, not better.

Best remedy is prevention, i.e., raking snow off the roof when it first gets there and has not turned to ice or slush yet.

Another is having steel roofing at least on the cold eaves. Steel sheds much better then ashpalt.

Many homes in my area have electric eave-heaters. Just a one-wire heater wire that zig-zags across the eaves. Usually you only plug them in when ice builds up, and it creates small channels for water to escape.

Come spring, you see a lot of roof eaves with holes in them from people hammering on them with a claw hammer or hachet.

MarkB_MI · Feb 20, 2010

The best solution for a roof prone to ice-dams is to install de-icing cables. Adding insulation to your attic will help, but if your roof has a bad design there's nothing to be done short of re-designing the roof.

To break up your ice dam, fill a panty-hose leg with ice melter, then lay it across the dam. All you're trying to do is cut a channel so the water can escape instead of backing up under your shingles.

Keith Molden · Feb 20, 2010

One thing you DON'T want to do is use a propane torch to remove the ice. Saw on the local news where a guy in Jackson, Ohio did that at a small strip mall. Yep, it melted the ice allright, caught the building on fire & burned out 3 businesses. But I guess it did work after all, there's no snow on the roof (no roof for the snow to be on) Have a good day, Keith

John S-B · Feb 20, 2010

How about using one of those electric pipe warmers? One or two ought to work as a temporary fix.

John S-B · Feb 20, 2010

How about using one of those electric pipe warmers? One or two ought to work as a temporary fix.

Lloyd Sorlien · Feb 20, 2010

We use one of the heat cords in the eve trof and it works great. Our roof is pretty flat. and the eves would fill up with ice. now the stay melted with the cord in the eve.

Brian G. NY · Feb 20, 2010

Can"t help you this year but the REAL solution is
12" to 15" of insulation in the attic floor (top floor ceiling), and very good venting from the eaves up thru the peak. If you can keep the snow from melting above the overhang, you won"t have any problem. Having said that, I do have 15" of insulation in my attic but because I heat with wood, I keep the house unusually warm and if we get 15" to 18" or snow or so, I find it necessary to use a snow rake to get the snow off the roof at least 4" up from the eaves. Snow is a fairly good insulator. It also tends to reduce the effectiveness of the ridge vent. You will find that insulation pays for itself very quickly at today"s fuel prices!
That"s my story and I"m stickin" to it! LOL

Brian G. NY · Feb 20, 2010

Now my take on the whole thing is this: keep the attic as cold as possible. After all, it costs enuf just keeping the living space warm, right?

Roof Ice

Doug - Iowa

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Janicholson

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Firewood

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MN Scott

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rocko

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Brian Love

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JDemaris

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MarkB_MI

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Keith Molden

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John S-B

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John S-B

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Lloyd Sorlien

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Brian G. NY

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Brian G. NY

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