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Your house has an ice dam?
February 10, 2010 by Doug Francis · 7 Comments
One of the problems of having too much snow and below freezing temperatures for a week is the gutter ice dam. This happens when the gutter stops draining due to compacted snow or a block of ice. Then, the warm air escaping from your home generates just enough heat to melt the snow pack causing the gutter to fill with water. Hopefully it flows out, and not back in…
You have probably seen how a reservoir gets filled when the dam is closed, well, this is the same type of event except that the water backs up and into your house.
Over the past two days I have had two friends in Vienna, Virginia call me about leaks inside their homes. One was at a bay window below a soffit vent, and the other was from the roof on a three story colonial. That leak flowed all the way downstairs in the family room. And in both cases, little can be done right now because the ice in the down spouts needs to melt and allow the water to drain properly.
Ice dams are uncommon in Northern Virginia and this year (2010) is unique because we are setting a historic record for annual snowfall. At my home in Vienna, VA, we measured 24″ of fresh snow on Saturday afternoon and another 8″ of snow on Wednesday afternoon. Combine that with below freezing temperatures since last weekend(at 3:38 P.M., it is only 20°) and there really hasn’t been any natural melting.
Homeowner’s insurance was intended to cover ice dams
One of the tell-tail signs of a potential problem is when icicles form from your gutters. The ice is now firmly in place and any melting snow is now flowing right over the gutter. The melting is fine as it flows over the gutter, but when the flow backs up is when it can come through the house.
At this point, I personally have to trust the fact that my builder and roofer did everything possible six years ago to protect my home from an ice dam.
When your roof gets repaired one day in the future, make sure there is a drip edge and sufficient roof flashing is installed to prevent water penetration. If you have really had it with asphalt roofs, then maybe you should consider a metal roof where snow slides off much more easily. A friend in Vienna had a metal roof installed recently so I will get that name for this post.
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- Winterize your house… before the freeze (dougfrancis.com)
- Your house has an ice dam? Part 2 (dougfrancis.com)
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When A Roof Leaks from Ice Dam, There Could Be Many Factors Involved Such As:
1. Poor or improperly installed attic insulation
2. Improper attic ventilation
3. Improperly installed Ice and Water Shield which is very common.
What Homeowners Should know About Ice Dam and Insurance Companies:
1. Insurance companies will only cover the removal of the ice dam but not the prevention procedures. This is a big problem, because when the next snow storm of five inches plus comes around, the leak will start all over again.
2. Insurance companies will only cover visible signs of damage, the hidden wet insulation inside the wall is the homeowners responsibility.
You and Your Insurance Company
Insist that the wet insulation be removed and replaced and the studs dried or you could possibly develop black mold which is a much more serious problem! If black mold does occur, no insurance company will cover it’s removal, it’s the homeowners sole responsibility to keep the home dry, so be persistent!
These are all great suggestions Steven. And now that spring is here it is time for folks who had problems last winter to take action with a roofing professional like you.
I also need to mention that if home owners contact their insurance companies to help out with roof leaks of any sort, then your home has been noted in the shared insurance industry database, the CLUE Report. Home owners do have the right to request a copy of their CLUE Report for their records.
Doug Francis´s last blog ..Earth Day in Vienna, VA 2010
OMG…excellent post, where’s the justice? The bottom line is, if you’r going to make a claim against your insurance company it better be for something well above your deductible or you’ll pay for it in the long run!!
Hi Doug,
Would it be to much trouble to change my username shown on the blog from Steven B. to Roofer911? Nobody knows me as Steven B, only Roofer911.
Thanks Again, Steven
I am unable to change the name you put down… next time, you will need to put down your true identity!
Doug Francis´s last blog ..Home Buyer Agents Get it Done!
Very good…thank you!