Ice Dam? Here’s How to Remove it Now

2/9/2021 (Permalink)

Snow and ice can be pretty—but the damage they cause to your home can be pretty costly. Here's how to remove an ice dam before it results in a leak.

Winter’s snow can be beautiful, but it can also bring the risk of severe water damage to your home from ice dams forming on your roof. Essentially, an ice dam is a block of ice that forms at the edge of your roof and blocks melted water from running off the edge and to the ground. Instead, meltwater gets forced under the ice and can penetrate your roof and invade the walls and ceilings of your home. Hello, costly water damage!

How does that block of ice form in the first place? It has to do with the freeze-thaw cycle that can occur as snow on your roof melts, trickles down the slope of your roof and freezes again before it can drip to the ground. This process repeats until a frozen wall is formed, which builds its way back up the roof until you have an icy mound blocking any meltwater from escaping the roof.

Once the ice dam forms, your goal is to remove it before water starts leaking through your roof into your house. Here are three ways.

Clear the Snow

You can remove the snow from your roof by using a roof rake or roof shovel. These tools are designed to let you clear the portion of your roof near the gutter while you stand on the ground. (Do not climb onto the roof to rake or shovel the snow—you’ll put yourself at risk of a serious injury!) Your goal is to clear enough snow to allow the ice dam itself to melt naturally in the sunshine or warmer daytime temperatures.

Warm the Eaves

Another option is to encourage melting of ice dams (or prevent their formation entirely) by warming up the edges of the roof itself. The best way to do this is to purchase electric cables designed to be laid along the roof edge. The cables warm the roof enough to melt an ice dam or stop one from forming.

Cool it Down

It may seem counterintuitive, but another way to stop a leak caused by an ice dam is to freeze the leak from the inside! Bring a box fan to your attic and aim it at the spot that’s leaking. The cold air will refreeze the meltwater, giving the ice dam time to melt naturally—or with a little help from you.

How to Deal with Water Damage Cleanup

Any water damage from the ice dam will have to be cleaned up promptly to prevent further problems. When you call the experts at SERVPRO of Bloomfield/Enfield, we’ll respond ASAP, make any quick repairs to stop the damage in its tracks, thoroughly evaluate the situation, remove all the moisture from your home, and restore your possessions and structure to before-damage condition. We can even remove the ice dam!

If you have suffered damage from a storm or other disaster at your home or business, call SERVPRO of Bloomfield/Enfield at 860-216-2785

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The team at SERVPRO of Bloomfield/Enfield has specialized training and experience in storm damage restoration, water damage restoration, fire damage restoration, mold remediation, commercial services and natural disaster cleanup. Call SERVPRO of Bloomfield/Enfield at 860-216-2785.

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If you have suffered damage from a storm or other disaster at your home or business, call SERVPRO of Bloomfield/Enfield at 860-216-2785