Ice dams are an accumulation of ice at the eaves and valleys of your home. They are caused by insufficient attic insulation or poor ventilation, which allows heat to escape though your attic. This heat melts the surface layer of snow, which runs down to the eaves, where the roof surface is cooler, and freezes. This repetitive cycle causes water to pool behind the ice dam, which eventually will leave through your roof shingles and into your home
Chances are if you are reading this article, you are not looking for a way to prevent this, you have an active ice dam and are looking for a way to stop it from leaking into your home. Hopefully these tips can get you through your emergency until a permanent solution in the spring can be done.

Tools & Materials

• Roof Rake
• Extension Ladder
• Push Broom
• Calcium Chloride
• Pantyhose

STEPS

1. Safely  set up ladder against roof and using the roof rake, pull as much snow off roof as possible. Always pull down to you, never go across roof, this may damage the shingles. Do not chip away at the ice, this will also damage your roofing shingles.
2. Fill one leg of the pantyhose with calcium chloride and tie off. Now lay the filled hose onto the roof , making sure it is laying on the ice dam and overhanging the gutter. This will melt a channel in the ice dam and allow the water to run through the hose and drain off the roof. Depending on the size of the ice dam, i would repeat this process every 4 feet.

*** Never use rock salt – This will stain your roofing shingles ***

Tags: water

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