ice damming

[likethebeer]

has entered our world. We're both disturbed.

No big leaks yet, but, like, 2 inches of ice on a portion of our roof. mda was working up a solution but there's nothing we can do at the moment, unfortunately. He's got ice tape, but we can't use that right now since this stuff is already up there.

Our roof is so freaky, that it's been difficult to come up with an approach (a new roof connects to an old roof w/shit for insulation so the snow melts, then freezes; and it's difficult to access the insulation portion of both roofs). I don't have the heart to tell him that I spotted a tiny, brand new drip in our BASEMENT that, all things considered, might be from stuff coming down from the roof, along the studs, and ending up going through the floor/basement ceiling.

Comments

[cynnerth.livejournal.com]

Ice dams were my worst winter nightmare at my old house. It suffered so much damage from that! Our best defense was raking the roof.

[likethebeer.livejournal.com]

He raked it a few days ago w/a regular rake and threw some salt in a piece of pantyhose up in a few spots, which created some streams, but then those dammed up. If we can get an interim solution until spring comes (and $$$ goes), I'll be happy. "Just stay up there, roof!" [shakes fist]

try

[regatomic.livejournal.com]

calcium chloride (safety melt), if you cant get up to the roof use a cup hooked to a painters pole, spread the stuff as broadly as you can it'll break up the ice and you can pull it down with the rake,.. the CC won't destroy the plants around the house like salt will,.. o.o

Re: try

[likethebeer.livejournal.com]

Thanks. He's used salt mixed w/calcium chloride, and then bought pure CC for the next go-around. He says thanks, b/c that helps to understand the refinement of his approach.

[coconuthead.livejournal.com]

Yikes!
No advice, just Yikes!

[likethebeer.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid to see what's down in our basement right now. mda has resigned himself to dealing w/this in January, then when spring comes, we'll have to do some ripping, I bet.

[binro33.livejournal.com]

The joys of home ownership.

Sometimes I miss renting.

[likethebeer.livejournal.com]

After we bought our house I started to think this, "Oh, you'll love owning your own home [or, really, the bank mostly owning your home]" was some big scam that homeowners played so that we'd all get suckered into it.

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

Yeah, whatever you've got - heat tape, roof rake - you have to do it before the snow turns to ice. I'm not sure if anything works afterwards. Good luck with the salt.

[likethebeer.livejournal.com]

He raked off the roof when it was just snow, but he couldn't get up higher to get the rest and that melted and turned to ice.

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

The lower part - along with the gutter - is the most important part. When water runs into snow, the snow soaks it up like a sponge, and turns into a very thick layer of ice. If melted snow hits the gutter it could freeze, but much of it will continue down the gutter to the downspout, where it's supposed to go.

So if you remove *all* the snow from the roof, that's ideal, but removing the lower part to prevent the sponge effect is essential.

This is why the heat tape works so well - it keeps your gutters doing what they're supposed to be doing.

Although now that you have ice dams, removing the ice and snow from above them is important now too.

[likethebeer.livejournal.com]

I'll tell him about that part.

He worked during most of the daylight today: actually taking a hose and spraying hot water onto the roof in areas to create channels, then throwing on calcium chloride (the resulting water draining through the channels), then getting up there and shoveling the ice off (he had a very good idea that I not stay at home to help, b/c I would have been in the way and trying to persuade him to stay off the roof). I've seen the stuff he threw off the roof - the ice was about an inch and a half thick. He got most of the ice off the roof. The gutter is still a problem, but the ice on it has been knocked down and it's no longer leaking in weird places.

He's going to try to do some more work tomorrow before he has to work, but he feels good about what he accomplished today, and feels like he can get (unfortunately I came home in the dark and didn't really get to appreciate it).

And he would like salty rain to come down at about 85 degrees!

He did a good job today.

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

That's cool. Like I said, if he can get the gutters clear, the part up top isn't as big a deal. And the next snows won't be as big a deal. Just so he knows where to concentrate his efforts. Good luck to him!

[sirreal13.livejournal.com]

I spent Friday afternoon raking and chipping away with the blunt end of a roofing hammer... The West side is OK, now, but there were icicles coming through a soffit vent for the first time ever. No water intrusion that I could see...

The East side porch roof is inaccessible, due to ice layered on top of old snaow, so I can't hammer the ice between the upper roof sections. This is ridiculous!!!

Good luck to you and MDA..

[likethebeer.livejournal.com]

We had luck and hard, hard work on mda's part: he hooked up a hose to a spigot in the basement and directed streams of hot water up at the roof to create channels; then he threw calcium chloride up to begin to break things up - the water that resulted from the calcium chloride ran down the channels; then he got onto the roof (thank gladys I was at work) with a shovel and began shoveling the ice off. The ice chunks are over an inch thick.

He managed to clear off most of the worst part of our roof, and will try to work more tomorrow before he has to get into work. But I think the worst is past, for now. It's no longer leaking into our basement.

[sirreal13.livejournal.com]

thank gladys I was at work Amen! That's gladys with a lower case "g." I'm an agnostic when it comes to gladys, but I do believe in the devastating power of ice that melts and refreezes in inconvenient places.

[likethebeer.livejournal.com]

And my bf (agnostic AT MOST) knows me well-enough to know that I would be fretting and getting in the way had I stayed!

Continued good luck on your ice, sir.