Fixing Ice Dams

[kellsbelles]

This is our first winter in a brand new construction home and we have huge ice damns and 3ft+ icicles hanging off our roof. I have had several companies come out and they have differing opinions on how to permanently fix the issue. One says that they are caused from lack of attic insulation and air leaks/sealants and wanted to charge us thousands of dollars to do that.

The other company said that heated gutters need to be installed in the spring as well as some additional roof sealants but that the insulation in the attic was indeed to code and not the issue. He also recomended calling a company to scrape the snow and ice off the roof during major snowstorms in the future.

We have suffered some ceiling damage from a roof leak due to this already and want to make sure this isn't a recurring issue year after year. I appreciate any advice. This is our first home we have owned and still learning the ropes to this.

[munkii]

Installing insulation to code has nothing to do with whether or not a house can form ice dams. It just means that the correct R-value was used, and it was laid/filled (depending on type) appropriately. With that, I would do more research and probably start over with new professionals. It seems like you already don't trust the first guy. With the right knowledge, you will learn the second guy is only treating a symptom and not the problem of why the ice dams occur in the first place.

Here's a really good article on TOH that explains why this happens and what you can do to fix it: www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20557572,00.html. 

[munkii]

Mar 1, 2015 9:00:11 GMT -5 @domerjen said:

You can do that yourself with a big broom.

Amazon (and some big box stores) sell roof rakes for not that much. They are specially designed to not damage shingles.

[moolarkey]

I have never heard of heated gutters - ever. Do some research on ice dams.

I would trust This Old House information

How to prevent ice dams
www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,1131346,00.html

Fixing ice dams
www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,1131314,00.html

This also looks like a good article
home-partners.com/articles/ice-dams-quick-fixes-cure

From the University of Minnesota Extension Service
www.extension.umn.edu/environment/housing-technology/moisture-management/ice-dams/

[thatgirl2478]

Heated gutters are real, but the only reference I can find for using them to fix/prevent ice dams is on the heated gutter company pages...

[kellsbelles]

Mar 1, 2015 12:30:52 GMT -5 thatgirl2478 said:

Heated gutters are real, but the only reference I can find for using them to fix/prevent ice dams is on the heated gutter company pages...

Exactly! That's why I was a little skeptical. The guy who recomended them was from a roofing and gutter company. I'm going to research more insulation specific companies now and get a few more estimates.

[wawa]

I've seen lots of houses with heated cable thingies installed on the roof just ABOVE the gutters (i.e. on the cold area above the eaves), but heated gutters? no.

And yeah, ditto the pp's - just "to code" doesn't mean it's really that great of an insulation job. Is your attic hatch sealed? What's the vent situation? Any recessed lighting, vents and cable holes should be totally sealed up tight.

[mrspez07]