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Do you have ice dams? - 2/2/2011 8:59:20 AM

Kaliko

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I do. I live in an old house split into three condos. My part of the house is 150 years old (the rest of the house is 250), I am on the bottom floor, and the only roof that's directly over my place is a small bit of roof over the end of my living room. The condo upstairs is smaller than mine, so his outside wall forms an L with my living room roof. If I don't keep the roof clean of snow, that seems to be where it backs up to and leaks into my living room. It's only happened once before in the last three winters I've been here, but I can see the stains on the tin ceiling where it's happened before I moved in.

Anyway, I usually do a pretty good job of getting the snow off my part of the roof (with a roof rake). I didn't get out there quickly enough last week and I guess it finally backed up and is melting down. The roof did get completely cleaned off eventually, just not as quickly as usual.

Any experience with this? I have icicles - I'm sure it is ice damming. How long will the leak last? I read somewhere on the Internet that it could last days. The last time it leaked, I was actually away, so I don't know how long it leaked for. But the dripping is driving me crazy!!!

< Message edited by Kaliko -- 2/2/2011 9:07:39 AM >

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RE: Do you have ice dams? - 2/2/2011 9:03:36 AM

Musicmystery

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You can buy a product at the hardware store--Roof Melt. Comes in a square plastic tub.

It's essentially large salt pellets. You toss 'em up (from the safety of the ground) to the roof. They then melt through and under, letting the water drain.

Costs $20. Easy and worth trying.

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RE: Do you have ice dams? - 2/2/2011 9:06:46 AM

Kaliko

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Ooh - Thanks - I will look for it.

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RE: Do you have ice dams? - 2/2/2011 9:07:47 AM

Rule

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Is it actually leaking, or is it water vapor from your breath that condensates against the celing and drips down?

If it leaks from the same place, then adhere a long thread and let the water slide down along it into a bucket.

< Message edited by Rule -- 2/2/2011 9:08:15 AM >

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RE: Do you have ice dams? - 2/2/2011 2:55:14 PM

DesFIP

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Come midsummer, climb up there with a 5 gallon pail of roofing tar and brush it on. The valley, where the two roofs meet wasn't properly done. There should be several interwoven layers of shingles and I'm betting you only have one.

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RE: Do you have ice dams? - 2/2/2011 3:06:36 PM

MercTech

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A permanent fix is to install "Frostex" heat trace on the roof to keep the ice dams from forming.

Wonderful stuff, Frostex. 3M makes it. Two wires inside a casing of a plastic that conducts current only when it is below 40 degrees. You can leave it wired up all year and it only draws current in the cold weather. The Frostex generates more ergs of heat the colder it gets so it will keep the ice melted off the roof.

They also make a version to keep pipes from freezing. I find that version wonderfull for keeping my water hose from freezing on the RV in the winter.... using it right now as it is 24 degrees on this job.

Stefan

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