Ice Damming: Causes and Solutions

Ice damming occurs from the expansion of water forming into ice. The water comes from melting snow, normally during the day when temperatures are higher, then freezing at night when the temperatures dip. Since the water drains towards gutters, the problem of leakage occurs, in most cases, closer to the exterior walls where the cold edge of the roof is. There are solutions to ice damming, short term and long term:
Short Term:

• If access is safe – chip off the ice at leakage areas. Be careful not to damage roof and gutters
• Salt the ice dam area . . . Slower results but it does work
• Wait for the thaw . . . This is 100% reliable, but can be very slow.

Ryan Roofing recommends putting out buckets & plastic immediately if dam leakage occurs.

Important Note: Poke a hole (or multiple holes) in the ceiling where leakage occurs. This will allow water to quickly escape out of the ceiling, allow a predicted drainage path and will greatly lessen the severity of ceiling damage . . . Small holes are easy to patch vs. sagging drywall or plaster.
Long Term:

• Check and update attic and soffit ventilation. A properly ventilated attic means the outside temperature is

  

  equal to the attic temperature. (That is why insulation is laid on the ceiling or attic floor). A cold attic means less snow melting from beneath and refreezing at night.
• Install ice and weather underlayment beneath shingles at the eaves. Ice and weather underlayment is a sticky rolled roofing that goes beneath the shingles directly on the wood decking. Shingles are applied over the material. When a nail is placed through the ice and weather underlayment it forms a tight seal to prevent water entry around the nails.
• Rubber membrane in problem areas or low slope areas means no areas for ice to back up.

On flat roofs, there are different measures of installing the roof to prevent ice dams.

Do not necessarily blame your roofer for the ice dams. If it didn’t leak during the rain but it leaks now, it is probably not the roofers fault.

Each ice dam situation is different. Ryan Roofing suggests calling in a professional. Call Ryan Roofing Today.