Ignoring These 3 Ice Dam Warning Signs After Snow Can Lead to Serious Water Damage and Costly Repairs
Staying vigilant and acting fast can save you $1,000s in repairs
After a heavy snowfall, most homeowners focus on shoveling driveways and clearing paths, but what’s happening on your roof can be far more important.
Ice dams often form quietly and result in interior leaks. Spotting it early can help you catch ice dam formation before meltwater backs up under shingles, leading to warped ceilings, damaged insulation, and costly repairs.
Knowing what to watch for – and acting quickly to empty and clean gutters – can make all the difference. This is what the pros need you to know.
3 Key Warning Signs of Ice Dams
An ice dam is a ridge of ice that forms along the edge of a roof, blocking melting snow from draining correctly, causing water to back up and seep into your roof. This can then leak into your attic, resulting in costly damage to your attic insulation and ceilings.
There are a few key ice dam warning signs to check for, both inside and outside of your home, that reveal your roof might have developed an ice dam after heavy snow or freezing weather:
- A visible ice ridge: Mike Feazel, CEO of Roof Maxx, points out that the most obvious sign of an ice dam is ice along the edge of your roof and icicles hanging from the guttering. It is best to avoid climbing to your roof to look for these, especially in cold and slippery conditions. If you struggle to see, a set of binoculars from Walmart can help you check your roof safely from the ground.
- Moisture inside your roof: Ice dams can quickly lead to moisture inside your home. Thomas Borcherding, owner and lead designer at Homestar Design Remodel, suggests, 'Moisture meters are your best friend when diagnosing ice dams. A moisture meter [available at Walmart] features prongs that you simply touch to a material that you suspect has come into contact with water, giving you an approximation of the material's moisture level. This moisture level will indicate whether or not water is running through or around the material in question, whether it be drywall, a stud, joist, or truss.'
- Wet walls or peeling paint: This is an alarming sign and signals that the ice dam has allowed a large volume of water into your home. Arthur Kulchitskiy, designer and founder of JDI Construction, warns, 'If your drywall in the top floor of your house appears damp or you notice your paint bubbling or peeling on top of your walls, this means that the water has reached beyond your ceiling and is working its way down your walls. This poses a huge threat to your expensive finishes and, most importantly, your wood structure. Check for stains with a yellow, brown, and ring-like configuration, usually around walls on the top floor ceilings.' Left unchecked, this will lead to otherwise preventable mold.
Treating Damage from Ice Dams
Fast action can stop the spread of damage.
If you have spotted any of these ice dam warning signs in your home, it is essential to act quickly. How you approach the situation will depend on the stage of the damage.
An ice dam that has not yet let water into your home, for instance, is easier to manage than one that has. Removing snow with a roof rake, from Amazon, can help to prevent a backup of water and mitigate internal leaks.
If you have spotted water damage in your home, it is time to call a pro, who can help to stop the leak and remediate the damage, stepping in to help prevent and get rid of mold and mildew in your home.
Arthur explains, 'A professional must use a low-pressure steam tool to cut channels in the ice dam so that the water can flow from behind it through the gutter. One never wants to try to break up ice with a hammer and shovel, as this will certainly cause shingle damage, which means even more leaks.
'Then, if you are experiencing an interior leak, a contractor may be needed to make a small hole in the staining on your ceiling to encourage this water to flow down into a bucket rather than spreading throughout the drywall.'
Preventing Ice Dams
It is better to 'waste' time on pre-emptive measures you don't need than risk going without and having to pay for repairs, experts reveal.
Prevention is always better than a cure. Avoiding gutter cleaning mistakes and staying on top of your seasonal home maintenance tasks is a must, as clearing leaves and debris can ensure water flows, making blocks and dams less likely. A gutter cleaning tool from Amazon is perfect for cleaning safely from the ground.
Beyond that, Mike recommends improving home insulation. 'This will ensure heat doesn't escape and melt snow unevenly,' he explains. 'For homes in colder climates, adding heating cables [available at Walmart] or using a roof rake [also from Walmart] after storms can also make a big difference.'
What to Shop
It might sound like a strange home maintenance tool, but being able to assess the state of your roof from the ground is an important safety consideration, especially in the snow.
This handy moisture meter can detect water damage that is not immediately obvious to the eye, helping you to work out if you need to call a contractor.
This gutter tool attaches to extending poles up to 1 1/4" diameter to help you clean debris from your gutters while still standing on solid ground.
Heat cables can run along your guttering to melt snow and ice along the edge of your roof, allowing meltwater to run off your home, rather than back up under shingles.
Removing snow from your roof manually can give unreachable snow and ice more space to melt, preventing meltwater from backing up into your roof.
A dehumidifier is an essential tool to help prevent mold after water damage, drying the affected area out quickly and thoroughly before any spores can take root.
Meet the Experts
Mike Feazel is the Co-Founder and CEO of Roof Maxx. With over 30 years of experience, Mike co-founded Roofers Success International and built one of the nation’s leading roofing companies before launching Roof Maxx in 2017.
Thomas Borcherding is an NKBA-Certified Kitchen and Bath Designer with decades of residential remodeling experience.
Arthur is the founder of JDI Construction and has worked as a professional contractor for over eight years, managing residential remodelling projects with a focus on carpentry.
Your roof is not your only concern when it comes to water damage, especially in winter when pipes are at risk of freezing too. Knowing how to find and fix common household leaks is a skill every homeowner should prioritize, even if it is just patchwork until a contractor can arrive.
