Skip to main content

Disaster Restoration Services

Serving New England since 1990

   24 Hour Emergency Services

(603) 641-6555

24 Hour Emergency Services

(603) 641-6555

Causes & Solutions For Ice Dams

Written by Casey Shearns on . Posted in .

The winter season tends to cause a lot of problems for homeowners! Without the proper preventative measures, you could end up paying a lot more than you anticipated for repairs from water damage and ice. One of the biggest pain points for homeowners during the winter is ice dams. If these end up forming, they can be expensive to remove and cause serious damage if allowed to grow. The best way to stop ice dams is to prevent them from happening altogether, which means understanding the causes of their forming and the solutions for when they do. We’ll explain both of these important items below!

What Causes Ice Dams To Form?

Preventing ice dams from appearing on your home’s exterior means having a complete understanding of what causes them to show up. It also requires knowing how to insulate your home properly! The main cause of ice dams forming on a roof is inconsistent temperatures. After a big snowstorm, you’ll likely have a good amount of snow on your roof. This can melt during the day due to either improper home insulation or the heat of the sun, refreezing the cold edge of the roofline to cause an ice dam to form. This cycle repeats itself daily until the water has no place to go, eventually seeping into your attic and walls to cause significant water damage. It’s a problem that you never want to deal with, but you can enact the following measures to decrease the likelihood of them forming:

  • Invest in a roof rake to sweep excess snowfall off of the roof
  • Make sure your gutters are clean and working prior to the winter season
  • Investigate your attic’s insulation to look for imperfections – improve/fix insulation inadequacies 

Solutions For Ice Dams

If you’ve enacted any of the preventative measures and an ice dam still found a way to take shape on your roof, the next step is to determine how to get rid of it. This can sometimes be easier said than done – you want to eliminate the ice dam, but do so without damaging the structural integrity of your roof! In the event that an ice dam does form on your roof, we recommend any of the following measures to combat it:

  • Consult a professional for snow removal after big storms – Some roofing contractors have steam systems that can remove ice dams safely
  • Fill a nylon stocking with calcium-chloride ice melt and lay it over the edge of the roof. It will melt a channel into the ice dam where the water can run off. 

Water Damage Restoration From Ice Dams With Soil-Away

Even if you enact all the proper protocols for ice dams, they can still seep water into your home and cause damage to its interior structure. For expert repairs that leave no stone unturned, Soil-Away is your best bet! We’ll ensure that no trace of any water damage is left by the time we’re done – you wouldn’t even know that your property was damaged in the first place! If you’re dealing with an ice dam or other water damage, don’t leave the restoration to chance. Contact Soil-Away today to be put in the best possible hands!

Contact Us Now

Search for:

Jay KorsenJay Korsen
00:51 04 Aug 22
All I have to say is WOW and FANTASTIC. I just got done building out my new professional office with Soil-Away’s construction division and they went ABOVE and BEYOND. Scott and Mike, the carpenters are skilled artisans. The project got done on time and the project came in on budget! The finished results have been blowing people away. Much better than I could have anticipated. Anyone is welcome to come to our office, Bright Light Chiropractic in Hooksett to check out the fine work they did. Simply can’t sing enough praises for them. Sorry that the picture doesn’t do the job justice. Thank you Jack and your team. -Dr. Jay
Asian BreezeAsian Breeze
04:28 15 Jul 22
Since day one, I’ve known the owner, Jack, to be a hard-working and selfless leader. Through the efforts of him and his team, he was able to restore my flooded restaurant to tip-top shape. I was amazed with Jack’s orderliness throughout the entire process. Jack has proven to me that he is trustworthy, as both a friend and an individual in the work environment.
Breton LangendorferBreton Langendorfer
21:17 07 Jul 22
Highly recommend Soil-Away. A pipe in our upstairs bathroom gave and sent water down through a wall for at least a day before we noticed water dripping through our kitchen ceiling. Our insurance put us in touch with Soil-Away and they were at our house the next morning to assess the damage and dry things out. Joe, Ray and Tom were phenomenal to work with. They explained every part of the process to us and were very professional and friendly. If you have to deal with similar issues call Soil-Away, you won’t regret it.
Maureen CidzikMaureen Cidzik
13:49 15 May 22
Superior service from start to finish. Highly responsive. The entire team is dedicated to quality and customer care and it shows in everything they do – from first call, to estimate, to job completion.
Sarah GrugnaleSarah Grugnale
16:02 14 Jan 22
Joe and Tommy were amazing to deal with, they kept us updated every step of the process. They were punctual and hard working, answering all of our questions that we had. Everything was done as promised and even above and beyond. A great experience from start to finish.
js_loader