How To Repair Ice Jam Roof Leaks

We have found that the only way to cure an ice dam and prevent one in the first place is to.

How to repair ice jam roof leaks.

Blow in cold air. Be very careful here you don t want to further damage. If you have leakage from an ice dam and can t rake the snow off the roof the best way to get rid of the ice dam is to hire a roofing company to steam it off. Seal all points where warm air leaks from the living space into the spaces immediately below the roof sheathing.

Next remove the ice dam by breaking it free in small chunks. It does not work very well takes a lot more salt and results in the pantyhose ripping apart. Here we describe the steps in getting the water under control and stopping the ice dam leak. A steamer is like a pressure washer except that the water is hot.

You ll stop the leak in a matter of minutes says toh general contractor tom silva. 5 steps to handling ice dam damage first get rid of any built up snow using a roof rake used for single family homes with pitched roofs or shoveling it. When using roof rake use light pressure to avoid scraping the shingles too hard. It melts the ice away without damaging the roofing.

The lower roof formed ice dams that sent so much water leaking into the roof wall over a window that water was entering the home interior. Never get onto a roof to remove snow in the winter. This targeted dose of cold air will freeze the water in its tracks. This article illustrates the successful control of an ice dam leak on an older home.

Along with unusual conditions of heat loss into a roof cavity roof or gutter ice dams can cause some hard to track down leaks as the following case study will illustrate. Use calcium chloride or an ice melt product. If you have an ice dam forming you can apply calcium chloride or similar product to the ice. Insulate the living space well enough to prevent conduction and convection of heat.

Take a box fan into the attic and aim it at the underside of the roof where water is actively leaking in. Providing a drainage path for such water accumulations is one way to stop ice dam leaks dead in their tracks.