Prevention Method
If you can get snow off of your roof, then there is nothing for either your hot roof or mother nature to melt. No melting snow, means no re-freezing, which means no ice dams! . You don’t need to remove the snow every time it snows, but if you see 3” of snow on your roof you may want to remove it. At 6”, you’ll definitely want to get the snow off of your roof.

IF you are going to get up on your roof with a shovel, remember:

1. It should be a plastic shovel to avoid damaging your roof.

2. Think twice before getting up there. Yes, we take shovels up on the roof with us to remove as much snow as possible before we start steaming an ice dam away, but we’re trained, insured professionals. You could damage you singles, fall off your roof and hurt yourself or worse.

Remember: a shovel is an ice dam prevention product, not an ice dam removal product. Unfortunately, once an ice dam has formed, you need professional help.

Prevention Method
If you can get snow off of your roof, then there is nothing for either your hot roof or mother nature to melt. No melting snow, means no re-freezing, which means no ice dams! You don’t need to remove the snow every time it snows, but if you see 3” of snow on your roof you may want to remove it. At 6”, you’ll definitely want to get the snow off of your roof.

If there is one product we would recommend to homeowners it would be a roof rake (others call them a snow broom).

When looking to invest in a roof rake, choose a plastic roof rake or one with small rollers on it. Do NOT purchase anything with metal on it to avoid damaging your shingles.

To remove the snow with a roof rake, stand on the ground (or ladder) and slowly pull the snow off of your roof.

IF you are going to get up on a ladder with a roof rake, think twice before getting up there. Yes, we climb ladders with roof rakes all the time, but we’re trained, insured professionals. You could damage you singles, fall off your roof and hurt yourself or worse.

Remember: a roof rake is an ice dam prevention product, not an ice dam removal product. Unfortunately, once an ice dam has formed, you need professional help.

Prevention Method (for leaks)
If you are installing a new roof, ask your roofer to install ice and water shielding on every available surface. It will cost more, but the investment is worth it.

This won’t prevent ice dams from forming, but it will stop leaks. If you can keep the water from coming into your home or business, then you would only have to worry about removing an ice dam if it grows heavy enough to threaten a collapse.

You have some ice and water shielding on your home now—Minnesota code requires it, but it only runs from the drip edge of your overhang to approximately two feet past your first interior wall.

Prevention Method
Your auditor will talk about all the places you are losing energy, including what you need to fix to keep your roof from getting hot in the winter.

As long as you invest the money and follow all of their suggestions, you will drastically reduce your chances of ice dams forming.

Please note the word reduce, not eliminate. Sometimes there is nothing that can be done about the weather conditions. If temperatures are rising above freezing during the day and plunging again at night, ice dams could form, even if you have done everything correctly.

Removal Method
Steam is the only safe and effective way to remove an ice dam. It won’t damage your roof and it won’t make leaks worse.

Technically, if you have $7,000+ to burn, you could buy a steamer. However, you can’t buy the training to use the steamer and it takes training to do the job correctly. You also have insurance to think about if something were to go wrong.

So, ask yourself: why would you put your life at risk? People have been lost in this industry; it’s dangerous work up on a slippery roof and things can and do go wrong.

If an ice dam has formed in spite of your best efforts, reach for the phone and let a professional ice dam removal specialists assist you in protecting yourself, your family and your home.