Extreme cold, snow "perfect" for ice dams on your roof

by Kelli Cheatham (kcheatham@wsbt.com)

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Ice Jams

The cold winter weather can cause ice jams to build up on homes. (WSBT photo)

By WSBT News1

Story Created: Jan 14, 2009 at 9:13 PM EST

Story Updated: Jan 19, 2009 at 6:27 PM EST

SOUTH BEND — The brutal cold and heavy snow can create a destructive and even dangerous mess for homeowners. Ice dams are caused by ice build-up underneath your shingles.

A lot of factors go into creating an ice jam, including how cold it gets at night, how much it warms up during the day, how much insulation is in your home and how much snow falls over a short period of time.

Tim Robertson said he's never had any problems with ice jams, until now.

"My wife opened up the curtains, opened up the blinds, and there was water dripping. Dripping, dripping, dripping," he remembered.

Robertson estimates he soaked up three to four gallons of water with towels and buckets.

As water seeped into his home, he discovered heat from the sun as well as lack of insulation in his home caused the snow on his roof to melt and get under his shingles. It flowed down into his insulation and walls on both sides of the house.

"They want me to take all of the stuff out of the cabinets, then lower the cabinets and take them down," Robertson said his of his insurance company. "And then let the contractors come in and rip this wall out and rip that wall out."

Tony Sergio, owner of First Response Disaster Restoration told WSBT his company has already been absolutely swamped with calls.

"What's coming with the snow forecast is perfect for this type of situation," he said. "We see it [like this] every three or four years."

Sergio said icicles on the outside of a home can indicate a good environment for ice dams.

"This particular house has very little overhang and you're getting a lot of heat loss," he said of a home near Robertson's.

Sergio said the best way to prevent ice damming on your home is to use a snow rake or an ice rake. They extend several feet so you can drag the snow and ice off your roof. They are available at most local hardware stores.

"We also recommend you use a calcium chloride, which is like a salt," said Sergio. "And you salt the edge of the roof. You don't want to use true salt they use on the street because it can damage your shingles."

Tim Robertson will tell you to take every precaution to prevent ice dams from happening to you.

He says his biggest concerns now are mold and mildew building up in between the walls in his home.

"My wife's got asthma, so I don't want her getting sick because of that," he said.

If you have icicles or lots of snow on your roof, you should take it off as soon as you can — especially before it warms up into the 30's and melts.

But be smart about it. Do not try to climb a ladder. Emergency workers say they see a handful of people every year who fall from their ladders and rooftops, trying to clear the ice.

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