Although Less in Minnesota, Ice Dams Abound
Minnesota and the Twin Cities are having another lighter snow season this year. We are on pace to be well below our average snowfall of about 50″ of snow per winter. When there’s less snow there generally are less ice dams to remove, though snowfall isn’t the only factor that contributes to ice dams forming. Elsewhere there has been more snow that is causing ice dam problems, and we’d thought we’d do a quick round-up of the current status of ice dam formations accross the counrty.
Our Neighbors
Wisconsin has gotten quite a bit more snow then we have, and ice dams are in the news lately.
More than two weeks after the blizzard that paralyzed southern Wisconsin, homeowners may be paying for its effects — broken, snow-heavy limbs and ceiling-spotting ice dams — far into the spring.
Full article From the Wisconsin State Journal About Ice Dams
We found this bit in an article in the Sauk Prairie Eagle about Ice Dams quoting a contractor dealing with Ice Dams in Wisconsin to be fundimentally flawed:
“When there is 10 inches of snow, it’s critical you remove snow from the bottom three to four feet of your roof”
We know from our extensive experience with ice dam removal and ice dam prevention that removing only the bottom 4 feet of snow from your roof doesn’t always solve the problem. In fact, assuming it has solved things can set you up for double the disappointment. Because Ice dams can still form, and even take on a more damaging form. See our case study on “Double Dams”.
The East
The northeastern region of the US is typically a hotbed for ice dams. Where they generally don’t have the persistant double-sub-zero digit temps for as long as Minnesotas does, they make up for in in the amount of snowfall. The Title of this article from the Press Republican makes the genius assertion: “Ice Dams Contribute to Roof Leaks”, and we think they’re onto something there. Then there’s this article from the Booth Bay Register about preventing ice dams that also has the distinction of having the worst ice dam graphic we’ve seen in a while. We don’t mean to poke fun. Not everyone is as geeky about ice as we are.