Long story short - ice dams caused water damage to ceiling of upstairs bathroom and bedroom so I had a company out to do moisture testing, they found it in the ceiling and about halfway down a wall. I can handle that, but the roof is another story - it's about 25'-30' up depending on where you stand so I don't want to be leaning on a ladder chipping it away. Should I file an insurance claim so a contractor can remove that for me? Do ice dams typically cause actual roof damage, or just the water damage from water seeping in? Just trying to see how much work this is going to be for me vs. going with a contractor...
Ice Dams
- Thread starter sniska
- Start date
once formed the damage is usually just water.
removing them is rough, I have seen more damage
done by chipping and banging on rock hard shingles.
A guy down the street wrapped a hunk of pvc drilled
with holes with about a mile of gutter tape to lay on
the ice dam and melt channels. It was slow but worked.
removing them is rough, I have seen more damage
done by chipping and banging on rock hard shingles.
A guy down the street wrapped a hunk of pvc drilled
with holes with about a mile of gutter tape to lay on
the ice dam and melt channels. It was slow but worked.
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Yes they cause roof damage as well. That plywood under the shingles is wet now and can rot out or mold or not dry out at all. Depending on how old your roof is now might be a good time to replace it anyways so going the insurance route might be worthwhile. The damage is done it will happen again so why not get it fixed to not happen again?
I'd call the insurance company and see what they have to say
I'd call the insurance company and see what they have to say
just repacing the roof wont fix the root cause.you have to vent install chuts poss more roof vents and insulate and s0me times that is not enough.allot of the dormer 2nd storry houses were finished with no airspace between insulation and roof and most at best are r11 I encurage those people to use steel.most 30 40 50 60 70s houses are birds mouth rafter ends lucky to have 2 in between top plate and underside of roof so you are screwed but with quality Ice and watter you are usualy ok best to get out the roof rake every time you have to shovel the drivway untill you can afford to get a quality steel or copper roof
just repacing the roof wont fix the root cause.you have to vent install chuts poss more roof vents and insulate and s0me times that is not enough.allot of the dormer 2nd storry houses were finished with no airspace between insulation and roof and most at best are r11 I encurage those people to use steel.most 30 40 50 60 70s houses are birds mouth rafter ends lucky to have 2 in between top plate and underside of roof so you are screwed but with quality Ice and watter you are usualy ok best to get out the roof rake every time you have to shovel the drivway untill you can afford to get a quality steel or copper roof
ice dams
insurance will pay for the interior water damage. once the ice forms nothing you can do but wait it out. beating on the roof with ice picks, chisels, only does damage to the roof. the best way to prevent ice dams is to buy a roof rake and rake the roof after every snow. you only need to go about 3-5 feet up the slope. if you are going to replace the roof make sure to install ice/water shield to prevent water from leaking in. in my past life i was a property insurance adjuster and handled hundreds of these types of claims.
insurance will pay for the interior water damage. once the ice forms nothing you can do but wait it out. beating on the roof with ice picks, chisels, only does damage to the roof. the best way to prevent ice dams is to buy a roof rake and rake the roof after every snow. you only need to go about 3-5 feet up the slope. if you are going to replace the roof make sure to install ice/water shield to prevent water from leaking in. in my past life i was a property insurance adjuster and handled hundreds of these types of claims.
trailshredder
Member
Ice dams are caused by...!) lack of insulation and/or 2) Incorrect or lack of propper ventallation or the combination of both. Mainly in new homes it is the lack of propper ventallation been there done that seen it many times. If you own an older home a roof rake may be your only choice. To rmove the ice dam you can purchase sodium cloride at any Home Depot or roofing dealer. Clear snow off of the first 3 feet of roof and apply sodium cloride.
L
lenny
Guest
direct sun can be a formidable factor , especially on darker roofs. I replaces a roof 2 years ago with black shingles, ran 2 courses of ice and water shield, ice and water up the valleys also. I installed a powered gable vent on a thermostat, added another 10" of cellulose to the already R38 and guess what, same old ice damn. I now rake the roof to eliminate potential ice damns
arcticgeorge
New member
Thanks for the info guys
One bad thing about moving to the UP Ice dams...i have 2 of them one on each side of my house in the valley. I didnt want to but i guess i will have to rake/remove the snow from that area. I have lost a couple of shingles busting them up too. My Neighbor is a roofing contractor and he said a solid thick rubber membrane over 1/2 sheet insulation will stop the water from backing up underneath the shingles in the valleys....but it wont stop the dam from forming. Were gonna do them this spring..............................He said a double roof is the best cause you have your current roof then you put 1/2 inch or 1 inch form sheeting then studs and a metal roof, should stop the heat from getting to the roof from the inside and the snow and ice will slide down the metal roofing.
One bad thing about moving to the UP Ice dams...i have 2 of them one on each side of my house in the valley. I didnt want to but i guess i will have to rake/remove the snow from that area. I have lost a couple of shingles busting them up too. My Neighbor is a roofing contractor and he said a solid thick rubber membrane over 1/2 sheet insulation will stop the water from backing up underneath the shingles in the valleys....but it wont stop the dam from forming. Were gonna do them this spring..............................He said a double roof is the best cause you have your current roof then you put 1/2 inch or 1 inch form sheeting then studs and a metal roof, should stop the heat from getting to the roof from the inside and the snow and ice will slide down the metal roofing.
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yamahauler
Active member
like lenny said...direct sunlight gives me one ice damn.
snow melts up high, then I have 3 pitches rooflines come together and are facing north and that's where I get the ice damn because the sun doesn't really ever hit that area long to melt it completely
snow melts up high, then I have 3 pitches rooflines come together and are facing north and that's where I get the ice damn because the sun doesn't really ever hit that area long to melt it completely
trailshredder
Member
Gable vent will not propperly vent an attic area. Can't hurt but not the best way. The air has to travel from the eave to the ridge or you are just wasting your time. After being Project Manager on well over 1,000 custom homes throughout Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Illinois without a doubt FULL eave venting coupled with (air vent two) ridge vent will (in most cases) prevent ice dams. The key word was FULL eave vents not one or two solids then a vent. Not the vented soffit with only the perforations in the middle of the piece. Keep in mind also that aluminum soffit isn't as restrained as the vinyl. Aluminum has better air flow than the vinyl. Or if it is a wood soffit the 2" continuous is the best. This venting system can not be coupled with any other vent in the roof line or it will not work. Trust me this works...took a lot of trial and error and we solved our infamous ice dam calls we would get every winter. Now this won't neccessarily prevent ice dams from forming on a low pitch "saddle" that is located in an area suseptable to large amounts of snow build up and drainage from higher areas of roof. But it will eliminate eave type ice dams.
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Thanks everyone!
Wow, all great info! Unknown to me, my brother went and bought a steamer last summer to use on commercial roofs. Needless to say he will be stopping by tomorrow with it and removing the dam. I went up on the roof today and it's gotta be 12"+ thick on a 2/12 roof!
I have the adjuster coming out tomorrow, along with a contractor to give a bid for the repair. I can see a few other places it is starting to stain on the ceiling upstairs, so it could be a lot of work. If I can do it myself, it might be time to tear out the wood paneling, get some better insulation, and throw drywall up there. The wife will be pleased that she gets to pick out new paint
Wow, all great info! Unknown to me, my brother went and bought a steamer last summer to use on commercial roofs. Needless to say he will be stopping by tomorrow with it and removing the dam. I went up on the roof today and it's gotta be 12"+ thick on a 2/12 roof!
I have the adjuster coming out tomorrow, along with a contractor to give a bid for the repair. I can see a few other places it is starting to stain on the ceiling upstairs, so it could be a lot of work. If I can do it myself, it might be time to tear out the wood paneling, get some better insulation, and throw drywall up there. The wife will be pleased that she gets to pick out new paint
L
lenny
Guest
Main problem here is a 10/12 pitch with 2x6 rafters and a 8" eve, the saddle cut on the rafter tail brings the underside of the roof sheeting to about 1/2 away from the wall sheeting, you can barely get your fingers through there. Needless to say we have poor eve venting thus the attempts with powered gable vent and additional insulation. I did set a thermometer in the attic. The attic temp varies obviously with the outside temp but much cooler in the attic that I would have though. On a 22 degree day it was 29 in the attic and water still dripping off the roof. The sun is more of a culprit than we ever thought. My neighbor has a metal roof on his garage and it is not heated, on the side facing the sun for a good part of the day, it is clean and the other side still covered with snow. Don't underestimate the sun as a larger player in some of the situations
trailshredder
Member
I know what your saying...it's a continuous battle.....good luck.
yamahauler
Active member
quick question about using a power washer to cut channels in the ice. Wouldn't you have to keep doing that every few days as it would just freeze back up?
trailshredder
Member
Sodium cloride can be bought at home depot or any shingle company...that would be your best bet.
Figuring it out...
I talked to the adjuster, they will be able to recover the removal of the dam, so long as it is a reasonable charge. He said some companies will cover it, and some won't, so it looks like I have my insurance in the right place!
Contractor bid out right around $5,500 for everything, I will be doing most of it myself. I will have the tearout done this weekend so the moisture can be removed by a cleaning/restoration company next week, then the adjuster will stop out to make sure we are doing everything we can to prevent it from happening again. Everything after that I will take care of on my own.
The adjuster said that they will be returning in the springtime to check the roof and see if that was damaged by the ice, if so, they'll take care of me there as well.
Thanks for all of the tips and advice!
I talked to the adjuster, they will be able to recover the removal of the dam, so long as it is a reasonable charge. He said some companies will cover it, and some won't, so it looks like I have my insurance in the right place!
Contractor bid out right around $5,500 for everything, I will be doing most of it myself. I will have the tearout done this weekend so the moisture can be removed by a cleaning/restoration company next week, then the adjuster will stop out to make sure we are doing everything we can to prevent it from happening again. Everything after that I will take care of on my own.
The adjuster said that they will be returning in the springtime to check the roof and see if that was damaged by the ice, if so, they'll take care of me there as well.
Thanks for all of the tips and advice!
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In my opinion the only way to eliminate ice dams is to get rid of the snow on the roof . My illinois house i spent 4 hours roof raking my roof this week after a 20 inch snowfall , Today my roof is totally clear i have no ice dams. My driveway is down to black top and its very big. I also snow blow a quarter mile path in the park behind my house 4 snow blowers wide. This took me all day wednesday. Some times you need to apply yourself to eliminate problems in the future .