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Ice Dam............................................

Lawdwaz

By Lawdwaz,
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Lawdwaz Grand Master

Lawdwaz

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Boy, if you don't have any leaks consider yourself DAMN lucky.  I know a bunch of people who are having serious trouble with them right now.

 

This morning my BIL called and told me that a piece of income property he owns in a condo association (1st floor) was getting water from the neighbor above.  After much trouble he finally got the owner to come home and open the unit to see WTH was leaking.  By the amount of water he figured it had to be a frozen pipe, cracked toilet tank or some other deal.  I told him Ice Dam......he said no way, too much water.

 

Yea, ice dam it was. :)

 

Funny thing though, no water was visible from anywhere in the 2nd floor condo.  You had to look in their furnace room (right inside the unit) and then you could see the water pouring in!

 

There are houses around here with freaking icebergs hanging off of them big enough to sink a battle ship........they have to weigh 200-300 lbs easy, maybe more.

 

With the sun and warmer temps they are going to start pouring water into houses and businesses all over the place.  In all my years in the restoration field I never saw it this bad.

 

Prayers sent to all affected..............

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Culvercreek hunt club Enthusiast

Culvercreek hunt club

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I was just over at a lady's house because she was convinced she had a broken pipe. I have done some work in the house and from where she was describing I knew there was absolutely no plumbing above that ceiling. There is however a nice wall to roof intersection right above the leak and about 12" of ice built up above the top of the gutter. Big geometric house with multiple roof lines, sky lights and cathedral ceilings throughout the house. The back deck has 6" diameter icicles a story and a half tall from the roof to the deck.

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Lawdwaz Grand Master

Lawdwaz

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I've heard of people putting rock salt in panty hose and laying them up on the ice dams. 

 

I've also heard of people putting heat to them..........followed by fire truck and news crew. :)

 

Not a whole lot to be done now, the ice mass is formed and Ma Nature will probably have to take care of it.  You can shovel the snow off now but getting rid of the ice will be a hummer............

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stoneam2006 Newbie

stoneam2006

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I have shoveled my roof must be a dozen times...ice dams are terrible and my roof is leaking in multiple places...I've done everthing and have a roof getting put on in late August sucks I couldn't get one more winter outta it....I've tried salt I've tried drilling holes thru it and thru gutters as they ar also getting replaced..nothing has worked at all...I've what to do as I'm outta ideas just need a thaw to hit and melt them off and deal with damage I guess.....this damn coal stove has been awsome and terrible at the same time....good luck to all affected hope someone has a way to fix it....share here lol

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scolopaxmatt Newbie

scolopaxmatt

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Stop at your local hardware store and pick up a bucket of calcium chloride pucks.  It's safe for use on asphalt and all you need to do is chuck a bunch up to the worst spots.  I'm not entirely positive how they work, but I'll say that they certainly do work.  These puppies melt a hole down to the roof and bore a channel under the ice.  When they work their way to the edge water just pours off the roof. 

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scolopaxmatt Newbie

scolopaxmatt

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I threw 120 pucks onto our roof the other day. All I got was a sore arm. That stuff didn't work. The snow and ice was too thick. House is like a sieve right now. Getting a new roof put on this summer it seems.

 

If you hadn't been getting the snow off and the ice was thicker than 6 inches, I could see how that wouldn't have helped.

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Doewhacker Newbie

Doewhacker

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We have a snow catcher/ice maker roof (hip roof and sky lite and cathedral ceiling) it got me about a month ago during all the storms here but I have been on top of it since then. Nothing a ladder and shovel won't cure along with calcium chloride in a pair of stockings.

It was like a north east country song, my snow blower broke, my back hurt and my roof leaked all at the same time.

My wife sent me a text from the roof, she got stuck up there out of fear and dropped her shovel...lol

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mlammerhirt Mentor

mlammerhirt

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Now do you have to run that heated wire system constantly??

 

I have heard if the ice does build up they don't create enough heat to melt it completely....Also how do they prevent the ice buildup in the gutter if they are on the roof?

 

Everyone other person you talk with is having major problems in WNY....especially with the slight warmup today......Basements, roofs, additions all getting soaked.

 

 

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stoneam2006 Newbie

stoneam2006

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I threw 120 pucks onto our roof the other day. All I got was a sore arm. That stuff didn't work. The snow and ice was too thick. House is like a sieve right now. Getting a new roof put on this summer it seems.

Yea exact same situation here and I've shoveled it off a bunch...still to thick for any melt product to work and I've tried a few....gonna be a busy roofing season I imagine

i chiseled all the ice out of mine 2 weeks a go i am also taking my gutters off before next winter they are not worth the winter damage

Yea I tried to explain that to a buddy he just don't get it...gutters are nothing but ice dams waiting to happen
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Jeremy K Veteran

Jeremy K

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Now do you have to run that heated wire system constantly??

 

I have heard if the ice does build up they don't create enough heat to melt it completely....Also how do they prevent the ice buildup in the gutter if they are on the roof?

 

Everyone other person you talk with is having major problems in WNY....especially with the slight warmup today......Basements, roofs, additions all getting soaked.

 

A guy i work with has the heated wire system and it is triggered by a thermostat ,his runs on the roof,through the gutters and down spout.

 

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wildcat junkie Contributor

wildcat junkie

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When I had a new deck & roof put on my house & when I had my garage built, I spent a few hundred bucks extra on each to have the entire roofs underlain W/ice & water shield. it will be hell getting the shingles off when it is time to replace them, but I'll probably be dead  by then & I haven't had any ice dam leaks yet. 

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stoneam2006 Newbie

stoneam2006

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When I had a new deck & roof put on my house & when I had my garage built, I spent a few hundred bucks extra on each to have the entire roofs underlain W/ice & water shield. it will be hell getting the shingles off when it is time to replace them, but I'll probably be dead by then & I haven't had any ice dam leaks yet.

Yea I was gonna do that but think I'm gonna do tin instead....seems like a better choice from guys I've talked too...
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wildcat junkie Contributor

wildcat junkie

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Yea I was gonna do that but think I'm gonna do tin instead....seems like a better choice from guys I've talked too...

Tin underlay W/shingles or a metal roof? Tin underlay will still be prone to leak through nail holes. The ice & water shield seals around the nails.

 

Doing the complete underlay was the idea of the guys that did the roof on the garage. I was buying the materials myself so they didn't have anything to really gain by it. When I did the house I just went ahead & did the same thing.

Edited by wildcat junkie
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