How To Remove An Ice Dam From Your Roof

When it forms the water then backs up behind the ice dam and creates a pool of water.

How to remove an ice dam from your roof.

Use a roof rake after heavy snowfalls. So the first step is to remove this ice and snow using a snow rake which is a retractable rake that can extend up to about 17 feet or so in length. Stop ice dams with a cold roof. Because of this it pools up and leaks back into your house causing damage to the roof and attic.

This only occurs when part of your roof warms to above 32 degrees f warm enough to melt the snow while the roof edge remains below freezing. This blast of cold air will usually be enough to refreeze the fingers of the ice dam while the snow and ice is melting away on the outside of your home. This scenario is often the result of a warm attic. Water stains or moisture may be an indication that an ice dam has formed and water has penetrated the roof membrane.

When ice clogs your gutters there is nowhere for the melted snow to run off the roof. Using a long handled roof rake to removing the snow from at least at lower 4 feet of roof edge can help prevent ice dams from forming. Ice dams appear quickly after a heavy snow because of the insulating properties of snow. If necessary use a long handled garden rake or hoe to push it into position.

Eliminate its fuel source if left alone the ice dam will continue to be built up by the snow and ice up on your roof. If your roof is weighed down by the presence of heavy icicles and more in these snowy months follow these techniques for removing the ice dams immediately before the damage is done. The calcium chloride will eventually melt through the snow and ice and create a channel for water to flow down into the gutters or off the roof. Removing an ice dam from your roof immediately after spotting the signs can be critical to helping prevent damage to your home.

An ice dam is a wall of ice that forms at the edge of the roof usually at the gutters or soffit. Ice dams and icicles form when the snow melts runs down your roof and refreezes near the edge. Lay the hose onto the roof so it crosses the ice dam and overhangs the gutter. How to remove an ice dam.

One way to remove an ice dam is to melt it using calcium chloride ice melt. If your home is beginning to suffer the leaks indicative of an ice dam take a fan a box fan or small air mover into your attic and direct it at the section of roof suffering the leak. This pool of water can leak into your home and cause damage to walls ceilings insulation and other areas. Ice dams forming on your roof can damage your home leading to costly repairs.