# Roofs and ice damming.



## Bostonian (Feb 10, 2015)

So today's PSA is brought you by me!  In shoveling out the way to our oil fill, I noticed on the side of our house that the snow and ice have dammed up really big.  Just a word of advice to all you guys, get your roofs shoveled and ice dams broken up... We have someone coming on Friday (the earliest), but it's a serious matter.  Will post photos soon... But yeah this is the one thing that sucks about this epic 2 weeks of snow.


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## SkiFanE (Feb 10, 2015)

Bostonian said:


> So today's PSA is brought you by me!  In shoveling out the way to our oil fill, I noticed on the side of our house that the snow and ice have dammed up really big.  Just a word of advice to all you guys, get your roofs shoveled and ice dams broken up... We have someone coming on Friday (the earliest), but it's a serious matter.  Will post photos soon... But yeah this is the one thing that sucks about this epic 2 weeks of snow.



We had ice dams about 3-4 winters ago. Luckily water just came into one set of windows, not into rooms. But husband added Insulation to the attic above that room after clearing the roof and so far, still good (knock on wood). Helps that heat upstairs rarely gets above 62* and colder weekends, well ventilated attic too.


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## Puck it (Feb 10, 2015)

All roof raked here.


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## hammer (Feb 11, 2015)

Having someone come out to take a look today.  We always get some ice on the south facing side but it's never been this bad.  The attic is finished but as far as I can tell it's ventilated.

Think a part of the problem is that our bathroom fans are vented to the soffit.  Will need to have that fixed in the spring.







Different PSA...if you have a fire hydrant near your house, make sure it's clear of snow.  I don't mind clearing mine but I feel like my neighbors (who I know are able-bodied) just aren't helping.


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## Bostonian (Feb 11, 2015)

We already have leaks in the house now... Hopeful that the insurance money (if we are to get any) will go to the restoration to any damage incurred.  The amount of snow out here in the flatlands is insane...


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## Tin (Feb 11, 2015)

hammer said:


> Having someone come out to take a look today.  We always get some ice on the south facing side but it's never been this bad.  The attic is finished but as far as I can tell it's ventilated.
> 
> Think a part of the problem is that our bathroom fans are vented to the soffit.  Will need to have that fixed in the spring.
> 
> ...




WOW, that is no joke. Might rip the gutters off too. You should probably invest in a flame thrower.


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## ctenidae (Feb 11, 2015)

Tin said:


> You should probably invest in a flame thrower.



Insurance frowns on those kinds of claims, you know.


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## Puck it (Feb 11, 2015)

Put some ice melt in panty hose and lay parallel to roof line if you can get up there and invest in a roof rake


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## hammer (Feb 11, 2015)

Tin said:


> WOW, that is no joke. Might rip the gutters off too. You should probably invest in a flame thrower.


Gutters are hanging in there so far (literally!), we had them reattached a few years ago.  Just hoping the roofer I have coming by today will ask a fair price and get the work done soon.

Think it's too late for DIY solutions or a residential roof rake.


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## Bostonian (Feb 11, 2015)

I do own a roof rake, but because our house is close to the street and power lines, I am hesitant to use it that close... I will take photos when I get home today. I have been raking the back of the house, but still, the amount of snow and ice damming has caused significant damage already.  We will have to get rid of our wooden gutters too which I love, but it does suck that as much as I love this snow, it's hurting our house.


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## Savemeasammy (Feb 11, 2015)

hammer said:


> Think it's too late for DIY solutions or a residential roof rake.



I am cleaning a roof for a customer today.  If you have an extension ladder and a roof rake, you might be able to get it.  This ice dam is much smaller, but water is still getting inside.  



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## Puck it (Feb 11, 2015)

I have five extenstion on my roof rake and I can reach every side of my roof from the ground.  Some sides less than others.  I bought it on Amazon last year


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## Abominable (Feb 11, 2015)

I have a new (to me) house, first time homeowner, and this has concerned me as well.  I definitely have some spots where the drainage (gutters, downspouts and under house drainage carrying water away from house) have frozen, and I definitely have my share of icicles, although nowhere near as bad a the pictures shown (or my neighbors).  I also keep the house at about 55 degrees, crawlspace well insulated and ventilated (COLD up there).

So... when do I start to panic?  I've examined the crawlspace, no obvious water.  No obvious water in walls or windows.  Gutters still on and not pulling away.  But snow is certainly melting and refreezing daily and the problem is getting worse.

I suppose I should buy a roof rake.  I like this pantyhose idea as well.  I guess there's no excuse not to at least rake the roof.... so, sort of just thinking out loud.

But, the damage was obvious, I imagine?


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## Puck it (Feb 11, 2015)

Abominable said:


> I have a new (to me) house, first time homeowner, and this has concerned me as well. I definitely have some spots where the drainage (gutters, downspouts and under house drainage carrying water away from house) have frozen, and I definitely have my share of icicles, although nowhere near as bad a the pictures shown (or my neighbors). I also keep the house at about 55 degrees, crawlspace well insulated and ventilated (COLD up there).
> 
> So... when do I start to panic? I've examined the crawlspace, no obvious water. No obvious water in walls or windows. Gutters still on and not pulling away. But snow is certainly melting and refreezing daily and the problem is getting worse.
> 
> ...




If you have only a small amount of ice than don't worry.  Get a roof rake and clear the forst two to three from roof edge.  Northly sides will the worse since no direct sun.


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## xwhaler (Feb 11, 2015)

I have no gutters on my house....am I likely to not have significant ice damming?


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## Abominable (Feb 11, 2015)

Puck it said:


> If you have only a small amount of ice than don't worry.  Get a roof rake and clear the forst two to three from roof edge.  Northly sides will the worse since no direct sun.



Will do, thanks. It's funny as a new homeowner, I feel the inclination to panic at every opportunity, but I got to remember the place has stood there for more than a hundred years, so I hope it will outlast me.  I also feel silly asking things which should be common sense, but when you have no experience, it's difficult to tell what is a disaster requiring immediate remediation and what is only an inconvenience.

Also, Bostonian, thanks for bringing this up, and sorry to hear it's getting in the way of skiing.


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## Savemeasammy (Feb 11, 2015)

^Ice damming isn't directly related to gutters.  If there is too much heat loss in your attic, the snow will melt from the bottom.  The water flows down the roof and freezes at the bottom of the roof (the soffit area stays colder).   The ice dam grows from the bottom up.  


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## Puck it (Feb 11, 2015)

xwhaler said:


> I have no gutters on my house....am I likely to not have significant ice damming?


I have no gutters too. North side of my house is the problem. I never use to have a problem that I was aware of. I am not sure wait has to changed to make it worse.


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## Savemeasammy (Feb 11, 2015)

Puck it said:


> I have no gutters too.  North side of my house is the problem.  I have used to have a problem that I was aware of.  I am not sure wait has to changed to make it worse.



Scotty?  Is that you?


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## Puck it (Feb 11, 2015)

Savemeasammy said:


> Scotty? Is that you?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Oops! Fixedit


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## hammer (Feb 11, 2015)

Savemeasammy said:


> ^Ice damming isn't directly related to gutters.  If there is too much heat loss in your attic, the snow will melt from the bottom.  The water flows down the roof and freezes at the bottom of the roof (the soffit area stays colder).   The ice dam grows from the bottom up.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Could an ice-clogged gutter cause one?  I'm wondering because the north-facing side of my house (which also has gutters) has little to no ice buildup.


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## Puck it (Feb 11, 2015)

Savemeasammy said:


> ^Ice damming isn't directly related to gutters. If there is too much heat loss in your attic, the snow will melt from the bottom. The water flows down the roof and freezes at the bottom of the roof (the soffit area stays colder). The ice dam grows from the bottom up.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


  You want to keep the cold as far up as possilbe from the soffit to prevent the damming.  I am thinking of adding extentsions to the stryfoam vents from the soffit in between the rafters.


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## Savemeasammy (Feb 11, 2015)

hammer said:


> Could an ice-clogged gutter cause one?  I'm wondering because the north-facing side of my house (which also has gutters) has little to no ice buildup.



I wouldn't say "cause", but it could contribute.  Since the south side gets a greater sun angle, the snow is going to melt faster and end up in your gutters where it can certainly freeze.  The north side probably isn't melting as quickly...




Puck it said:


> You want to keep the cold as far up as possilbe from the soffit to prevent the damming.  I am thinking of adding extentsions to the stryfoam vents from the soffit in between the rafters.



Yes, you want your roof to be cold if possible.  There needs to be an air space between your insulation and the roof sheathing.  It's also helpful if there is minimal air leakage (convective heat loss).  A poly vapor barrier is a cheap way to tighten up the insulation job.  Installing rigid insulation is another.  I may do this in my attic at some point.  


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## Bene288 (Feb 11, 2015)

Bostonian said:


> So today's PSA is brought you by me!  In shoveling out the way to our oil fill, I noticed on the side of our house that the snow and ice have dammed up really big.  Just a word of advice to all you guys, get your roofs shoveled and ice dams broken up... We have someone coming on Friday (the earliest), but it's a serious matter.  Will post photos soon... But yeah this is the one thing that sucks about this epic 2 weeks of snow.



What is the condition of your shingles? If you're going to re shingle soon, make sure to use ice and water shield the first 4 feet of your roof. This will help tremendously, but it needs to be done correctly.


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## Quietman (Feb 11, 2015)

Puck it said:


> If you have only a small amount of ice than don't worry.  Get a roof rake and clear the forst two to three from roof edge.  Northly sides will the worse since no direct sun.



I did that once when it was really cold and a new dam formed higher up at the edge of the snow.  My house is poorly insulated and the only way to add more would be to drop the ceiling on the 2nd floor(finished attic) and that is way too much $.  So I have heating wires and clear the roof after most storms so I don't have to pay for the electricity to run the wires.  I've gotten a lot of exercise the last couple of weeks!!


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## buellski (Feb 11, 2015)

We've had pretty significant ice dams in the past. It was so bad that I was going out and raking the roof every time we got even a couple of inches of snow. I bit the bullet and installed standing seam this past summer since we needed to replace the shingles anyway. Huge difference! No more raking and no more ice dams.


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## dlague (Feb 11, 2015)

All this talk in this thread, I think I will look at my roof.  Get home when it is dark and then I ski on every day off so I never look at my roof!


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## ctenidae (Feb 11, 2015)

My roof is a Mansard, with basically flat (slightly pitched pyramids, really) on all the tops. Trouble is, the gutters are really just an 18 inch ledge all around, that have filled up with snow, melted to ice, covered with snow. I have to clear them some, at some point, probably by leaning out a 3rd floor window with a garden hoe. Good news is, they've been there for 150 years, hopefully they'll last a few more.

Fortunately, we haven't gotten slammed down here nearly as bad as most of you guys.


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## freeski (Feb 11, 2015)

I rake as far as I can reach every storm. I have had bad ice dams in the past. I've sworn to keep up with it so I don't end up on a ladder with an axe. :smile: This past weekend I shoveled the garage and the top of the roof where I can't get to with the rake. As someone mentioned earlier, I also have a problem with an exhaust fan from a bathroom. I need to check and see if there is something that closes the pipe off when not in use. 
If you have ice dams you can buy disks of salt to melt them. They're about the size of a hockey puck and last a long time. Salt probably is not great for the roof, but it's better than having a leak. I have a valley I use the salt in panty hose trick on. 
I was surprised how heavy the snow was when I shoveled it this weekend. The snow that fell as fluffy light flakes wasn't that way any more. It was 3' with 4' drifts and I'd guess weighed 35 or 40lbs per square foot.


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## denny717NHSB (Feb 11, 2015)

I have heat tape everywhere and roof rake regularly. I shovel off my porch roof completely every other storm or so, and still got water leaking inside the wall over the porch door.


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## Savemeasammy (Feb 11, 2015)

denny717NHSB said:


> I have heat tape everywhere and roof rake regularly. I shovel off my porch roof completely every other storm or so, and still got water leaking inside the wall over the porch door.



Probably a flashing issue.  


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## freeski (Feb 11, 2015)

I had another ice related problem a few years ago in the spring. On the north side of my house there are two basement window wells. I had shoveled the roof and there were snow banks almost up against the wall of the house. During a warm rainstorm the water had no where to go with the ground frozen. The water was rising up inside the well. It was pretty miserable trying to get a path for the water to go with an ice chopper and a shovel in the pouring rain. 
It's easier to get the snow away from your house before it sets up like the moguls on avalanche in January. :smile:


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## bvibert (Feb 12, 2015)

freeski said:


> I had another ice related problem a few years ago in the spring. On the north side of my house there are two basement window wells. I had shoveled the roof and there were snow banks almost up against the wall of the house. During a warm rainstorm the water had no where to go with the ground frozen. The water was rising up inside the well. It was pretty miserable trying to get a path for the water to go with an ice chopper and a shovel in the pouring rain.
> It's easier to get the snow away from your house before it sets up like the moguls on avalanche in January. :smile:



I went through a similar situation a few weeks ago.  Chipping away at ice and frozen ground in the rain is definitely not any fun.


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## from_the_NEK (Feb 12, 2015)

freeski said:


> I had another ice related problem a few years ago in the spring. On the north side of my house there are two basement window wells. I had shoveled the roof and there were snow banks almost up against the wall of the house. During a warm rainstorm the water had no where to go with the ground frozen. The water was rising up inside the well. It was pretty miserable trying to get a path for the water to go with an ice chopper and a shovel in the pouring rain.
> It's easier to get the snow away from your house before it sets up like the moguls on avalanche in January. :smile:



My father-in-law had the same problem last year here in N VT. He woke up to 5 inches of water in his basement. It took about 4 hours to dig out the 6 foot tall snow bank and chip out a drainage path through the underlying ice.


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## hammer (Feb 12, 2015)

hammer said:


>



And here's the after...wasn't cheap but at least I didn't have to risk life and limb:


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## xwhaler (Feb 12, 2015)

When roofs are cleared is it normally okay to just get the bottom half as shown above? Figuring that most ice dams occur around the gutters?
i.e. if you have space for the water to run off from the top as long as the bottom is clear its a big Win.

I don;t have any ice dams right now but I have a decent size drift where my garage meets the side of the house on the Northwest corner. I'm going to spend some time Saturday getting some of that cleared.


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## Bostonian (Feb 12, 2015)

So here are two "before" photos.  Thank goodness the roofer is coming tomorrow.  


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## Puck it (Feb 12, 2015)

xwhaler said:


> When roofs are cleared is it normally okay to just get the bottom half as shown above? Figuring that most ice dams occur around the gutters?
> i.e. if you have space for the water to run off from the top as long as the bottom is clear its a big Win.
> 
> I don;t have any ice dams right now but I have a decent size drift where my garage meets the side of the house on the Northwest corner. I'm going to spend some time Saturday getting some of that cleared.



The other problem with drifts is that if they are up against the siding.  Water can wick up under the siding and into the walls.  I would definitely clear it.


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## Savemeasammy (Feb 12, 2015)

xwhaler said:


> When roofs are cleared is it normally okay to just get the bottom half as shown above? Figuring that most ice dams occur around the gutters?
> i.e. if you have space for the water to run off from the top as long as the bottom is clear its a big Win.
> 
> I don;t have any ice dams right now but I have a decent size drift where my garage meets the side of the house on the Northwest corner. I'm going to spend some time Saturday getting some of that cleared.



It would be wisest to clear the snow all the way up.  If there is snow on the roof, there is still potential for it to melt and refreeze over the eaves...  If icicles form on the eaves, and then it snows again, that's a great recipe for another ice dam.  

It's also good to get the extra weight off the roof if possible - skiers love craploads of snow.  Roofs don't!


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## hammer (Feb 12, 2015)

Savemeasammy said:


> It would be wisest to clear the snow all the way up.  If there is snow on the roof, there is still potential for it to melt and refreeze over the eaves...  If icicles form on the eaves, and then it snows again, that's a great recipe for another ice dam.
> 
> It's also good to get the extra weight off the roof if possible - skiers love craploads of snow.  Roofs don't!
> 
> ...


Would agree but we went with the basic solution to prevent more immediate damage.  We also had the contractor leave the other areas alone where we didn't have issues.  Sure we could have asked but it would have been a lot more $$.  Time will tell if we need another visit.


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## from_the_NEK (Feb 12, 2015)

Bostonian said:


> View attachment 15583View attachment 15584
> 
> So here are two "before" photos.  Thank goodness the roofer is coming tomorrow.
> 
> ...



It really is amazing how much snow you guys have down there!


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## SkiFanE (Feb 12, 2015)

Okay...we are not raking our roof. Never have.  Why is there such an emphasis on this now?  I mean besides the ice damming issue....our 2 homes have been around since the 50s and 60s and I doubt they've been raked off before.  Shouldn't the roof survive just fine?  I grew up in this area, and don't remember anyone ever having to do this.  Newer homes seem to have the most difficulty holding snow - maybe the materials are crappier?  We don't have a flat roof...it's survived fine before, I expect it to survive fine this time.  If it collapses now...well...I'll have my first insurance claim in 20+ years of home ownership.  This isn't Lake Tahoe level of snow...


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## Puck it (Feb 12, 2015)

SkiFanE said:


> Okay...we are not raking our roof. Never have. Why is there such an emphasis on this now? I mean besides the ice damming issue....our 2 homes have been around since the 50s and 60s and I doubt they've been raked off before. Shouldn't the roof survive just fine? I grew up in this area, and don't remember anyone ever having to do this. Newer homes seem to have the most difficulty holding snow - maybe the materials are crappier? We don't have a flat roof...it's survived fine before, I expect it to survive fine this time. If it collapses now...well...I'll have my first insurance claim in 20+ years of home ownership. This isn't Lake Tahoe level of snow...




To prevent water damage from the ice dams. And the possibility of mold on the inside of the walls.


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## SkiFanE (Feb 12, 2015)

Puck it said:


> To prevent water damage from the ice dams. And the possibility of mold on the inside of the walls.



So if your icicles aren't leaking into the house, no need to rake roof?  People talk about the weight of the snow...not the ice dams.  We have big icicles, but so far no leaking.  In 15 years in this house, only leaked once into 2 window sills, not into house.


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## ALLSKIING (Feb 12, 2015)

Everyone with icicles need to add some insulation to the attic.  Icicles form from the heat leaking through the roof and melting from the bottom layer.


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## freeski (Feb 12, 2015)

SkiFanE said:


> Okay...we are not raking our roof. Never have.  Why is there such an emphasis on this now?  I mean besides the ice damming issue....our 2 homes have been around since the 50s and 60s and I doubt they've been raked off before.  Shouldn't the roof survive just fine?  I grew up in this area, and don't remember anyone ever having to do this.  Newer homes seem to have the most difficulty holding snow - maybe the materials are crappier?  We don't have a flat roof...it's survived fine before, I expect it to survive fine this time.  If it collapses now...well...I'll have my first insurance claim in 20+ years of home ownership.  This isn't Lake Tahoe level of snow...


If you have an old house with a steep roof pitch you're okay. If you have a moderate pitch you're asking for trouble. We have a 65 year old house and never had a problem until I let it go one winter and an we had a leak in a valley. The ice dame was about 10". We've never had a fire, but I still maintain the chimney, wood stove etc..


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## SkiFanE (Feb 12, 2015)

freeski said:


> If you have an old house with a steep roof pitch you're okay. If you have a moderate pitch you're asking for trouble. We have a 65 year old house and never had a problem until I let it go one winter and an we had a leak in a valley. The ice dame was about 10". We've never had a fire, but I still maintain the chimney, wood stove etc..


Yeah, but you have to maintain your chimney b/c you add stuff to it that needs to be cleaned out.  With a roof...if it held 4' of snow 30 years ago, is there a reason it won't today (given it's not rotted or something like that)?  From what I'm hearing, it should.

I'm just wondering where all this sudden "clean your roof or they'll collapse" mentality is coming from recently - I never remember it so prevalent 30 years ago (?).  I'm not talking ice dam prevention, but collapse prevention.

And honestly...after seeing my husband up 2.5 stories of our colonial 3 winters ago to clear dams...I'd rather we have dams then him paralyzed from falling!  (we put more insulation up there right after that so no more water in house..knock on wood...don't wait til spring to add more insulation).


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## Vortex (Feb 12, 2015)

SkiFanE said:


> Yeah, but you have to maintain your chimney b/c you add stuff to it that needs to be cleaned out.  With a roof...if it held 4' of snow 30 years ago, is there a reason it won't today (given it's not rotted or something like that)?  From what I'm hearing, it should.
> 
> I'm just wondering where all this sudden "clean your roof or they'll collapse" mentality is coming from recently - I never remember it so prevalent 30 years ago (?).  I'm not talking ice dam prevention, but collapse prevention.
> 
> And honestly...after seeing my husband up 2.5 stories of our colonial 3 winters ago to clear dams...I'd rather we have dams then him paralyzed from falling!  (we put more insulation up there right after that so no more water in house..knock on wood...don't wait til spring to add more insulation).



I had a local guys Shovel my roof for $125 this week.  Thought that was awesome and easier than any claim.  If you change your mind i have his number.  I will see how it came out tonight.


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## ALLSKIING (Feb 12, 2015)

SkiFanE said:


> Yeah, but you have to maintain your chimney b/c you add stuff to it that needs to be cleaned out.  With a roof...if it held 4' of snow 30 years ago, is there a reason it won't today (given it's not rotted or something like that)?  From what I'm hearing, it should.
> 
> I'm just wondering where all this sudden "clean your roof or they'll collapse" mentality is coming from recently - I never remember it so prevalent 30 years ago (?).  I'm not talking ice dam prevention, but collapse prevention.
> 
> And honestly...after seeing my husband up 2.5 stories of our colonial 3 winters ago to clear dams...I'd rather we have dams then him paralyzed from falling!  (we put more insulation up there right after that so no more water in house..knock on wood...don't wait til spring to add more insulation).



It's coming from record breaking snow fall in and around the Boston area.


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## hammer (Feb 12, 2015)

ALLSKIING said:


> Everyone with icicles need to add some insulation to the attic.  Icicles form from the heat leaking through the roof and melting from the bottom layer.


We have a finished attic with insulation and venting, and we have vented soffits and a ridge vent.  Kneewalls have insulation and the doors were custom-made with luan around foam insulation.  Sure there's minor leakage through the kneewall doors, and the venting isn't perfect but I'm not sure how to improve on what we have...

Regarding the concerns about snow loads, if one has a decently pitched roof is it really a problem?  I asked the contractor who cleared my ice dams and he didn't think the other areas needed clearing, and they have a decent amount of snow on them.


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## skifree (Feb 12, 2015)

Hope they shovel and rake gently.  I hear of a lot of roof problems people experience down the road after getting roof raked/shoveled.


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## ALLSKIING (Feb 12, 2015)

Finished attics even when insulated will cause melting due to know cold zone.


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## hammer (Feb 12, 2015)

ALLSKIING said:


> Finished attics even when insulated will cause melting due to know cold zone.


So would vaulted ceilings, right?  The additions on my house have those and I have not seen significant ice issues.  May be due to better insulation in those spaces.

I think the attic is at R-30 and the ceiling above the additions is at R-40, may account for it.

Since I can't add insulation to the ceiling portion would adding anything behind the kneewalls help?  Just trying to think of ways to avoid replays of the ice dams we had...


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## Puck it (Feb 12, 2015)

hammer said:


> So would vaulted ceilings, right? The additions on my house have those and I have not seen significant ice issues. May be due to better insulation in those spaces.


 yes


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## Cannonball (Feb 12, 2015)

I've owned my house for 16 years.  This is probably the deepest snow we've had, it's definitely the the worst ice dam situation.  I'm actually worried about it to the point that I may miss some prime skiing next week in order to deal with the next few storms.  

I have about 1-2 feet of snow on the roof and 6-10" of ice in the gutters.  The slope of my yard makes the front of the house very high and inaccessible.  Not to mention, my ladder is under a 5' snow drift.  

These pics don't really capture it. I just climbed out the 2nd floor window to remove the massive hanging icicles. I still have a nice overhanging cornice.


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## Cannonball (Feb 12, 2015)

Just another roof snow/ice cautionary tale....

When I lived in CO we had ~2' of snow and ice on the roof.  It was a low house so I climbed up to shovel it off. The first scoop I made sent the whole thing sliding like an avalanche.  I stayed on the roof fine, but the ice sheared off the gas main!!! We pretty much freaked out until the fire dept came and plugged it a little while later.  Then the gas co. eventually got around to fixing it (and moving main away from the eave) about 5 days later :blink:


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## JDMRoma (Feb 12, 2015)

Wow.....gas line, holy crap !

Only way I can get around my yard is with Snowshoes......Crazy shit !  My house is a ranch, went around back and it looked like i had a full dormer ! 3 + Feet of snow up there.....shoveled that off last night. So far no ice dams......knock on wood !


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## Not Sure (Feb 12, 2015)

Throw some softener salt on , what's worse?


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## Nick (Feb 12, 2015)

I lost a gutter on the back of my house 2 years ago. 

I had water in my daughters room today


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## Cannonball (Feb 12, 2015)

Siliconebobsquarepants said:


> Throw some softener salt on , what's worse?



Got an ice melt cannon?


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## Puck it (Feb 12, 2015)

Cannonball said:


> Got an ice melt cannon?


The panty hose thing works. I used it last year.  Better than having interior damage.


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## o3jeff (Feb 12, 2015)

I've taken the preventive maintenance stance the past few years and roof rake after pretty much every storm of a couple inches. I'm lucky, I have a single story ranch and takes me about 15 minutes to do. Also make a path around the perimeter of house with the snowblower to keep the snow away from the foundation for water problems.


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## o3jeff (Feb 12, 2015)

If it was warmer out you could hook a garden hose to the hot water supply of your washing machine and use it to melt/loosen the ice dams to make it easier to remove them. Drawback is that it makes a mess on the ground!


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## freeski (Feb 12, 2015)

JDMRoma said:


> Wow.....gas line, holy crap !
> 
> Only way I can get around my yard is with Snowshoes......Crazy shit !  My house is a ranch, went around back and it looked like i had a full dormer ! 3 + Feet of snow up there.....shoveled that off last night. So far no ice dams......knock on wood !


I wear snowshoes when I rake the snow off the roof these days. I've had to do it a couple of other winters. Yep, when you're walking around the house on snowshoes because there's no other way it is crazy shit.


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## Not Sure (Feb 12, 2015)

Cannonball said:


> Got an ice melt cannon?



https://www.littlegiantladder.com/
These Ladders are amazing , eazily reach the second floor , fold it up and put it in a closet. 
Very stable


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## Cannonball (Feb 12, 2015)

Siliconebobsquarepants said:


> https://www.littlegiantladder.com/
> These Ladders are amazing , eazily reach the second floor , fold it up and put it in a closet.
> Very stable



Thanks. It's >30' to my gutter.  I have a ladder, just not going there right now.


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## Puck it (Feb 12, 2015)

freeski said:


> I wear snowshoes when I rake the snow off the roof these days. I've had to do it a couple of other winters. Yep, when you're walking around the house on snowshoes because there's no other way it is crazy shit.



I use my skins instead of.


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## bigbog (Feb 12, 2015)

Puck it said:


> I have five extenstion on my roof rake and I can reach every side of my roof from the ground.  Some sides less than others.  I bought it on Amazon last year



5 !..WoW that's nice...no options but two(locally bought)..  Think I'll check up on the fitting dimensions to add more extensions, if possible(probably only in my dreams!).


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## Puck it (Feb 13, 2015)

bigbog said:


> 5 !..WoW that's nice...no options but two(locally bought)..  Think I'll check up on the fitting dimensions to add more extensions, if possible(probably only in my dreams!).




http://www.amazon.com/Garelick-89421-21-Foot-Aluminum-24-Inch/dp/B0000BYCD5

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1T39GNQPHD39SGG2XQDJ


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## hammer (Feb 13, 2015)

Siliconebobsquarepants said:


> https://www.littlegiantladder.com/
> These Ladders are amazing , eazily reach the second floor , fold it up and put it in a closet.
> Very stable


I have a similar ladder...aren't they a bit heavy to try to use as an extension ladder?


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## Not Sure (Feb 13, 2015)

hammer said:


> I have a similar ladder...aren't they a bit heavy to try to use as an extension ladder?



Yes , but with one person on either side and a small clear area
You can go straight up and not have to shovel a larger area for a conventional extension type.
The weight is part of what makes them stable.
There excellent for working over un even places.


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## Puck it (Feb 13, 2015)

North side of my house is free of ice.  South side has some ice.  This is not norm for my house.


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## Bene288 (Feb 13, 2015)

Puck it said:


> North side of my house is free of ice.  South side has some ice.  This is not norm for my house.



It's been pretty cold, is your heat on higher than average?


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## Cannonball (Feb 13, 2015)

Bene288 said:


> It's been pretty cold, is your heat on higher than average?



I slowed my ice dams considerably in the past 24 hours.  I disconnected the heating duct the goes to the 2nd floor.  This has majorly decreased the heat leaking through the attic and eaves.  This almost eliminates the melting part of the equation needed for ice dams.


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## Puck it (Feb 13, 2015)

Bene288 said:


> It's been pretty cold, is your heat on higher than average?




No no actually colder on second floor.  I ice coming thru the soffit vents on both sides of my diverted above front door. Never had this happen before.


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## wa-loaf (Feb 13, 2015)

You guys just need to get your snowblowers up on the roof!


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## Hawkshot99 (Feb 13, 2015)

wa-loaf said:


> You guys just need to get your snowblowers up on the roof!


Back when we had a small 2 stroke snowblower we used to take it up on the roof to clear.


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## Not Sure (Feb 13, 2015)

A quick poll , just curious , How many of you that have ice dams have brown trim?
A  friend of mine made the comment years ago he sees very little ice on homes with dark trim.
I have a porch attached to the front of my house and brown trim , very little ice.


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## Nick (Feb 13, 2015)

I shoveed myu farmer's porch yesterday but can't reach the high stuff. Threw some magnesium chloride in a nylon up there today. We'll see if that helps. Also tossed a few cupfulls of it up on the roof, probaby a waste of time but whatever. It's just in this one spot over my daughter's room that is getting water. 

Is this only a problem if you don't have ice& water shield installed?


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## ALLSKIING (Feb 13, 2015)

Nick said:


> I shoveed myu farmer's porch yesterday but can't reach the high stuff. Threw some magnesium chloride in a nylon up there today. We'll see if that helps. Also tossed a few cupfulls of it up on the roof, probaby a waste of time but whatever. It's just in this one spot over my daughter's room that is getting water.
> 
> Is this only a problem if you don't have ice& water shield installed?


Check the insulation above her room in the attic.


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## benski (Feb 18, 2015)

www.sdfgv72 said:


> فيديوهات سكس



We don't speak arabic on alpinezone. 


Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone


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## Puck it (Feb 18, 2015)

benski said:


> We don't speak arabic on alpinezone.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone



ISIS. We have been hacked!!! Or are they recruiting us?


No it is an Islamic hypocrit.

فيديوهات سكسthis translates to sex videos.


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## Abominable (Feb 18, 2015)

Puck it said:


> فيديوهات سكس this translates to sex videos.



The universal language!


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## ctenidae (Feb 18, 2015)

Puck it said:


> ISIS. We have been hacked!!! Or are they recruiting us?
> 
> 
> No it is an Islamic hypocrit.
> ...



Not an entirely ineffective recruiting technique.


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## Geoff (Feb 18, 2015)

I'm not too concerned about ice dams at my summer house.  The thermostat for the bedrooms is off and the thermostat for the rest of the house is set to 50.  There is good ventilation with a button vent in the soffit and a plastic channel in every bay between the rafters.  It's a new roof with proper ice & water shield and the EPDM flat rubber roof part goes 36" up the pitched part.  Most of the roof has new or sistered rafters.

The 10x10 flat roof area got shoveled off on Friday before the last storm and had a couple of feet of snow pack.  It was reframed from underneath 5 years ago and the roof deck replaced when new EPDM was installed 18 months ago.   It was probably OK but after all the money I've dumped into the house, I slept better knowing I wasn't going to have a snow loading issue.


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## ctenidae (Feb 20, 2015)

Worked from home on Wednesday, and went around checking the 3rd floor gutters (really 2 foot eaves, but who's counting?). Outside a window on a NW side, had about 4 inches of water pooled because the downspout was behind a 6 foot long pile of ice. I cut out a lot of it, and scraped off the snow sun could do some work. Scary to think what a 2X6X.5 chunk of ice weighs, and what having it hang off the roof does.

Was in Palm Beach the past two days, so don't know if the sun melted anything. Palm Beach was nice today, though. I got hot eating lunch. Which is nice.


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## Bostonian (Feb 21, 2015)

An update of sorts...

So we had water in our house, I was able to get the snow off our roof.  But... now we need to get the water re-mediated.  So now I have to hire a general contractor (to open the wall), with the water remediation team doing their job too.

Not a fun process.


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## freeski (Feb 21, 2015)

It's been cold in New England. Wait until we hit the freeze/thaw weather which is coming up then you're going to see the water damage. Also, I have 6' snow banks on part of my driveway which will turn into an icy mess.


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