Ice Dam Roof Removal Service

Throughout the winter season, the snow on the roof of your house goes through cycles of freezing and thawing. This process creates ice dams, forming in and around a home’s gutters and soffits, which poses serious risks to your roof’s structural elements, as well as interior walls and ceilings.

And if you have an ice dam roof when warm spring weather finally rolls around, heavy, jagged chunks of ice or large icicles can always fall without warning, posing a threat to anyone walking on your property.

That’s why it’s so important to trust experienced roofers with the job. At Roof Pro Plus, we know exactly how to safely remove snow and ice damming on your roof, taking the right steps to remove them without causing damage. Even more importantly, we’ll help you address the root cause to keep those dangerous ice formations from coming back.

Our professional ice dam removal service is focused on safety—for both your property and our crew.

Roof Pro Plus Can Help You Prevent Ice Dam Roof Damage

Removing accumulated snow and ice from roofs and gutters during cold temperatures can be extremely hazardous. This is why ice dam removal and prevention is a problem that should be left to professionals.

Ice dam removal is a treatment, not a cure. By simply removing existing ice dams, you won’t be addressing the underlying reasons the ice dam formed in the first place. When you contact Roof Pro Plus, we will:

• Accurately diagnose the cause of the ice dam
• Remove it safely
• Let you know what needs to be done to make sure it won’t return

Why do Roof Ice Dams Form?

Ice damming results from the thawing and refreezing of roof snow. Throughout the winter, heat naturally escapes through a roof and the underlying layer of snow melts, only to re-freeze if the melted water freezes when it reaches a colder area.

Generally, this happens in soffits, gutters, and overhanging areas because they are colder than areas in direct contact with the attic.

This cycle can start small but gain growth quickly. Once a small ice dam forms, it prevents water from running off, so it begins to collect, re-freeze on the roof, and create a vicious cycle.

Before long, the ice dam will grow to a point where it can easily push back up under the shingles and let water flow into the attic, leading to roof leaks.

The Risks of Ice Dams

Sometimes the weather can be to blame, but as mentioned above, ice dams regularly occur for one of two main reasons: 

• Too much warm air escaping due to inadequate attic insulation or poor attic ventilation, causing melting snow under the snow pack on a roof surface.
• Blocked gutters, eavestroughs, or downspouts that prevents melting snow and water from draining properly

As an ice dam accumulates, it gets heavier and heavier, sometimes growing beyond a weight that the gutter can support. If it gets to this point, it is a very dangerous situation, as it could cause structural damage to your home or threaten anyone who happens to be walking by when it finally falls.

An ice dam can easily push back up under the shingles, causing water to enter the attic. As a result, homeowners can face interior damage to walls, ceilings, and insulation, as well as harm to shingles, soffits, and other roofing materials.

Even if they don’t pose an exterior threat, ice dam problems can harm your roof in other ways. As water creeps in between shingles and expands as it freezes, it will loosen shingles and allow more water to enter until you have a leak and interior ceiling damage.

Ice Dam Roof Removal

There are a variety of strategies for ice dam removal, but finding the best method will depend on the particular circumstances of your home or building and the extent of the existing ice dam.

This type of job can be extremely dangerous, as it entails significant time spent climbing around on an icy roof and finding ways to safely remove the ice. Even if you work from the ground with a long-handled roof rake, you will have a tough time removing solid ice buildup.

Due to the risks to both personal safety and property, homeowners should not attempt to remove ice dams. Ice dam removal is not a DIY job!

Along with our ice dam removal services, our professionals can provide expert advice to prevent water leaks, ice dam damage, roof collapse, and other issues.

Roof Pro Plus uses safe removal techniques. Typically, we remove 2-3 ft of snow from the eaves (or in the problem area) which exposes the ice, we then treat the ice with calcium chloride liquid and/or pellets which compromises the integrity of the ice. We then remove as much ice as possible without damaging the roof and then treat the eaves with more ice melt. We do not remove ice from the eavestrough as that can damage the eavestrough if they aren’t already damaged from the ice and snow load.

Ice Dam Prevention Tips

The key to protecting the long-term health of your roof is to prevent ice dams from forming before they start. To reduce the likelihood of an ice dam during the winter long, homeowners should keep the following tips in mind:

• Installing attic insulation will help reduce air leakage and heat transfer loss through the roof. A cold roof surface will reduce the chance that an ice dam will form. 
• Adding insulation and ventilation will maintain a balanced temperature across the roof surface.
• Ensuring your eavestroughs are lower than the roof’s edge allows ice and snow to slide off more easily.
• Cleaning eavestroughs regularly will help prevent blockages.
• Installing an ice and water shield of at least three feet at the eaves of all heated sloped roofs (in conjunction with a metal drip edge or eavestarter) will greatly reduce the chances of a leak that could turn into an eventual ice dam.
• Deicing cables run at eaves and then through eavestroughs and downspouts

Proper insulation and ventilation can also prevent formation of ice dams around chimneys and vents.

Don’t Wait for Ice Dams to Cause Damage—Act Now!

Taking immediate action can prevent damage and protect your home from long-term issues. Whether you need safe, effective ice dam removal or expert advice on prevention, our team is here to keep your roof in top shape this season.

Getting professional help is an investment in your property’s safety and value. Roof Pro Plus will discuss all available options with you, offer a solution, and help you understand exactly what’s required to deal with ice dams properly.

Contact Roof Pro Plus for Professional Ice Dam Removal

The experienced teams at Roof Pro Plus are experts at safely removing and preventing ice dams. We serve the following areas: