Dealing with Ice Dams
If your roof is building an ice dam here in Central PA, this guide gives you quick steps you can take right now and a clear explanation of how to prevent it in the future.
Quick Actions For Active Leaks
If you have a leak under an ice dam, here’s what you can do right away.
• Get a bucket under the drip if you can access the crawlspace or attic.
• Knock down heavy icicles using a broom or long pole to reduce gutter weight.
• Remove as much snow from the roof as you can using a snow rake.
• Use Calcium Chloride, not salt. You can fill old socks or hose with it and place them across the ice dam to melt channels.
• Avoid metal tools like chisels or hammers. They will damage shingles and gutters.
If you can’t safely reach the roof, call a roofer. Just make sure they aren’t planning to chop or smash the ice. That always makes things worse.
What Causes An Ice Dam?
Ice dams happen because your roof deck gets warm even while the outside air is freezing. Heat escapes from your house into the attic, warms the roof deck, melts the snow, then the meltwater runs downhill and refreezes at the cold eaves. That refreeze is the “dam.”
This repeats in a loop.
Warm air escapes. Snow melts. Meltwater flows. It hits the cold eaves. It freezes. It builds a ridge. The ridge traps water. The trapped water backs up under shingles and causes leaks.
Should You Remove The Ice Dam Or Wait?
If there’s no leak and the dam is small, and the snow is mostly off the roof, you can usually wait for a warm-up.
If any of these are true, you should get it removed quickly:
• You already have a leak
• The ice dam is large
• There’s a lot of snow on the roof
• The forecast stays below freezing for several days
Gutters around Central PA are typically rated for 40 to 50 pounds per foot. Ice weighs about 57 pounds per cubic foot. It adds up fast and can pull gutters right off the house.
Removal Method Comparison
| Method | Safety | Effectiveness | Risk to Roof |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-Pressure Steam | High | Excellent | Extremely Low |
| Roof Raking (Ground) | High | Good (Prevention) | Low / Medium |
| Hot Water Pressure Wash | Medium | Moderate | Medium / High |
| Manual Chipping | Low | Low | HIGH / CRITICAL |
Is Ice Dam Damage Covered By Insurance?
The good news: interior water damage is usually covered.
The bad news: insurance rarely covers removal or upgrades to insulation or ventilation.
Risks Of Ignoring Ice Dams
• Structural rot in roof decking or rafters
• Insulation losing almost all its R value when wet
• Gutters collapsing from extreme ice weight
How To Prevent Ice Dams Long Term
• Air seal the attic to keep warm air from escaping
• Improve attic ventilation from the eaves to the ridge
• Add enough insulation to reach R 49 or better
• Heat cables can help but are not a permanent fix
Joyland Roofing Specializes In Ice Dam Removal
Whether you’re in Lancaster, York, Mechanicsburg or anywhere in the Susquehanna Valley, ice dams are a sign that your attic isn’t holding heat the way it should. Emergency steaming solves the immediate problem, but air sealing, insulation and ventilation keep it from returning.
