The ice dams cometh

As if shoveling the driveway and sidewalks isn't enough - now some people are hurting because they didn't shovel their roof?

The short answer is yes.

Cloquet building official Matt Munter said it's an issue of poor ventilation in the attic or not enough insulation, allowing heat into the attic and through the roof.

"As heat loss on the roof occurs, it melts the snow on the roof. As the melted snow finds its way to the overhang, it'll freeze and cause an ice dam right at the edge of the roof," Munter said. "With melt and freeze, you start building up a pile of ice at the edge of the roof. Eventually water backs up under the shingles [because it can't get past the dam] and causes a problem with leaking in the house."

That's when people like Shawn Thompson, owner of Midwest Snow and Ice Dam Removal, get a call.

Thompson said they got an emergency call Monday night when a couple in Cloquet found water leaking through the roof into the home.

"We came over here after dark and opened their house up so the water would stop," Thompson said.

He motioned to the grid-shaped channels his son was cutting in the ice to allow the water from the steam and melting ice to flow down and off the roof. "Then we came back today to finish the job."

He pointed to the one-story home on Third Street early Tuesday. His son is standing on the roof, using a wand that shoots out low pressure steam to cut channels through the ice and snow. Nearby, DeAngelo Web is using a long roof rake to get rid of the top layer of snow before Shawn Jr. hits it with the steam. Thompson's son methodically works his way down the roof, cutting channels, then completely melting the ice bit by bit or sliding chunks off the roof.

Although the ice is thinner away from the outer edge of the roof, it still extended as far up as 10 feet in some places, Thompson said, saying that the water leaked in roughly where the ice ended.

The business owner stressed that his crews use low pressure steam to get the ice off, not hot water and pressure washers, which can damage shingles.

This has been a fairly bad year for ice dams, Thompson said, in large part because of the substantial snowfall in November, which was followed by rain, which froze, and more snow, along with temperatures that have fluctuated from subzero to above freezing with some regularity.

"We did a house on Big Lake that the lady said in 30 years she's never had it this bad before," Thompson said. His phone has been ringing so much that he hasn't been doing any ice melting work himself, just answering the phone and making sure his crews are taken care of.

Despite the fact that his business can make $300 to $600 an hour for melting ice dams, Thompson recommends more preventive maintenance. In the wintertime, that translates to getting the snow off the eaves of a roof as soon as possible after a snowstorm and making sure the roof vents are open - to prevent the ice dams from starting.

For homes that are prone to ice dams, it should also mean doing some work on the insulation or venting system at other times of the year.

"You want to keep the roof deck cool," Munter said. "That way the snow is not going to melt." He pointed out that the city requires an ice and water shield that goes two feet past the interior wall on any new roof installation to help seal nail holes and resist ice dams and leaks. It's not a cure though, he said.

Neither Munter nor Thompson had any hard advice on "when to call an ice dam guy."

"My opinion is you're best to get the snow off the eaves, and if you see icicles start forming, do a better job of shoveling," Munter said.

Another suggestion for prevention is to have an energy audit done and find places where heat is escaping, and seal up those places in addition to adding insulation.

While the weather stays cold, keep raking, or call someone like Thompson to do the work for you. It will cost less - Thompson said the cost for a preventtive visit with a roof rake is closer to $150 versus double or even quadruple that amount. It can also be a hassle to have to renovate after a water leak, so best to simply avoid it.

In the meantime, Midwest and other companies that spend the winter removing snow and ice from the roofs of homes remain busy. (It's a good idea to make sure such companies are insured: ask to see a certificate of insurance before hiring.)

On Tuesday morning, Thompson had three teams working around Cloquet. He was expecting even more calls if the temperature got above freezing later in the week, as was expected.

"When it warms up, people are gonna have rivers running in their houses," he said. "And the snow up there is like rock."