OnIce dams · Winter leaks
Ice dam leaking into the house? What to do tonight.
Catch the water inside, move what you can out of the way, and stay off the icy roof. The ice dam itself comes from heat escaping into the attic, so the lasting fix is in the attic and at the eaves, not in chipping ice.
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Tonight, inside the house
Put buckets and towels under the drips and move furniture and belongings away from the wet spot. Take dated photos of the water and the damage before you clean up; your insurer will want them.
Leave the ceilings and walls alone until they dry out. The University of Minnesota Extension puts it simply: do not repair interior damage until ceilings and walls are dry.
Stay off the roof
An icy roof is one of the easiest places to get badly hurt. The Extension warns that anyone working on a roof in winter risks injury and damage to the roof and house, and says to get a professional.
In an emergency, cutting channels through the ice dam lets the water behind it drain off the roof. The Extension notes this only lasts a few days. It is a stopgap, not a fix.
Why ice dams happen
An ice dam forms when snow sits on a roof whose upper part is above freezing while the edge is below it. Snow melts higher up, runs down, and refreezes at the cold eave, and the water behind that ridge of ice backs up under the shingles.
The Extension says it is primarily heat flowing from the house that warms the upper roof, and that warm air leaking into the attic is often the biggest source of that heat.
The lasting fix
Keep the attic cold. The Extension’s order is to air-seal the ceiling first, so warm, moist air cannot flow into the attic, and then consider more insulation. Atlas, the shingle maker we install, also calls for a well-ventilated attic with baffles near the eaves.
At the roof edge, a self-sealing ice and water membrane is the backstop. Atlas cites the industry recommendation to run it at least 24 inches inside the interior wall line. It is part of every full Atlas system we install, along the eaves and in the valleys. What goes into our roofs.
Where we come in
Call (567) 708-8001 at any hour and a real person answers. We can look at the damage, photograph and document it for your insurance company, and repair the roof once it is safe to work on. Storm damage and 24/7 tarping.
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We get back to you fast, day or night, and set a time that works for you. Water coming in right now? Call (567) 708-8001.