Posts Tagged ‘edina ice dam removal’


National Association of Realtors and The Ice Dam Company

Tuesday, September 29th, 2015

I was recently interviewed by Realtor Magazine for a piece about preparing home buyers for severe weather –including Ice Dams, why ice dams happen and ice dam prevention methods.

You can read the full Article at Realtor Magazine Here:
Help Clients Prepare for Weather Challenges

The piece also discusses other weather related problems and disasters that can happen from strong winter weather. Check it out. I am frequently interviewed from media and professional sources from all around the country on the topic of ice dams because I started The Ice Dam Company so long ago. We are in fact the largest and the oldest ice dam prevention and ice dam removal company in the country. Before the Ice Dam Company, no other company existed that specialized in this area of business. Now, of course, the web is littered with ‘experts’ and ‘specialists’ purporting to be leaders.

-Steve Kuhl


Minneapolis Ice Dam Prevention

Monday, December 22nd, 2014

Attic insulation contractor addresses ice dams with new insulation in Edina

Attic insulation contractor addresses ice dams with new insulation in Edina

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using the words ‘ice dam prevention’ in Minneapolis is a dangerous gamble. It’s true that with certain efforts one can greatly reduce the chances of getting ice dams, it is almost impossible to prevent them altogether. For example, we can do a top quality insulation and ventilation retrofit on a Minneapolis attic only to be thwarted by the fact that the homeowner likes to keep the attic at 90 degrees in the winter. That is a formula for ice dam disaster in Minnesota. There are a number of methods to employ in preventing ice dams (or reducing their severity, in some cases). Here are links to two such approaches used by our sister company, Kuhl’s Contracting, a nationally recognized ice dam prevention company.

Approach to ice dam prevention in Minneapolis #1

Approach to ice dam prevention in Minneapolis #2

Homeowners looking to fix or at least minimize the risk of ice dams in Minnesota are wise to look at the key contributing factors that spawn ice dams. Those are, the weather, insulation, ventilation, air leaks, personal lifestyle and home architecture. We are frequently successful in reducing and/or eliminating ice dams through the use of high performance spray foam insulation systems in combination with enhanced attic ventilation.

Here is another helpful link on the topic of home insulation and ice dam prevention in Minneapolis


Commercial ice removal in Minneapolis

Thursday, December 18th, 2014

commercial ice removal contractor minneapolis kuhls contracting ice dam company 1

construction site ice removal, commercial ice removal, ice accumulation removal minneapolis, ice dam company

We have been called by property managers and builders to remove ice from a number of odd areas in Minneapolis over the years. Heck, we have even removed ice during the summer around cooling condensers at a chemical plant. While we frequently use our high-end steamers for the removal of ice, sometimes they are simply not appropriate. Such was the case on a recent job at a hotel under construction. A thin layer of ice had built up on the surface of a concrete floor that was perfectly flat…and huge. Using steamers in this application would have possibly resulted in making the problem worse by adding more water to the situation. While our steamers don’t generate much water, any time you melt ice, water is the result. Hence, my concern was that we would create a big mess. I suggested that we go old-school on this challenge. I sent three of my guys out there to hack and chip the ice with shiny, new scrapers. The resulting ice chips were simply blown and swept off the concrete, allowing the project carpenters to follow closely behind and lay out the wall framing without concern. It’s a low tech solution but sometimes that is what’s best.

Ice removal minneapolis commercial ice removal from flat surface

Ice removal minneapolis commercial ice removal from flat surface


Ice Dam Removal on Fairview Hospital

Thursday, January 31st, 2013

This past week, we were called out to a Fairview Hospital to resolve an ongoing roof leak in their EPDM roof  or rubber roof. The roof leak, they suspected, was being caused by an massive ice build up on their flat roof. The area covered in ice was approximately 1200 square feet and ranged between 3-5″ thick. They had gotten another bid from acompetitor to remove the entire ice field for around $8,000.

Screen shot 2013-01-31 at 5.30.30 PM

Upon visiting the site, we quickly determined it was not necessary to remove the entire ice field in the area. Our experience as professional roofers and our use of thermal imaging quickly pointed us to a bad corner flashing detail as shown here. This area was completely covered by ice and was the main source of their leak.

Screen shot 2013-01-31 at 5.30.23 PM

The job was quite simple. We used our commercial steamers to cut through the ice and clear a channel from the area around the leak to the nearest roof drain. This allowed any melted snow/ice to run directly to the drain, instead of being dammed up and leaking into the hospital.

Fairview Hospital Ice Dam Steaming

We also removed a the large section of ice that surrounded the leak area to allow for proper repair of the roofing and flashing that had failed. Fairview was so happy with our work that they ended up having us remove rest of the ice in that surrounding area. In the end, our cost for all of the work was half that of our competitor’s estimate. We pride ourselves in doing business under the philosophy that we’re trying to build lasting, honest relationships. Not just trying to earn the quick buck. Our guess is that we will be called for all ice removal needs by the Fairview Hospital network going forward. A lot of ice removal companies in the Minneapolis area are allergic to honesty.  Perhaps Fairview has an ointment for that?


Popular Mechanics: Ice Dams

Thursday, January 3rd, 2013

An article in popular mechanics recently published about Ice Dam Prevention, and What to do if you have ice dam problems gets the basics:

To prevent an ice dam, don’t heat the roof, keep it cold. That way, the snow on the roof eventually dissipates without making large amounts of meltwater. The underside of the roof deck should not exceed 30 F. The best way to maintain low temperatures is by ensuring that there is adequate insulation and sealing gaps that let warm air pass into the attic from the house. The attic must also be ventilated, so that cold air is introduced into it and heated air escapes rapidly. Some remodeling contractors are under the impression that heat passing through the attic helps prevent ice dams, when just the opposite is true. Although excess heat moving from the attic through the roof rapidly melts snow, once the meltwater touches the cold eaves, it quickly freezes and forms an ice dam.

Read the full Popular Mechanics Ice Dam Article Here

…Then the article falls short at really looking at solutions to identify root problems (other then proper insulation) and determining solutions. Instead it looks at situations where there’s a furnace in the attic, and then turns it’s focus to cosmetically hiding symptoms of ice dams. Before you go this route, you really should determine what the underlying problem is, and fix it.

If you don’t feel confident in attempting to diagnose and fix ice dam problems yourself, it’s always a good idea to contact a contractor that has a Minnesota State Certified Energy Auditor on staff, has experience in insulation & ventilation installs, fixing roof leaks and making stuff look good.


How to Prevent Ice Dams

Thursday, December 20th, 2012

Our friend Reuben Saltzman at Structure Tech did a nice round-up of ice Dam prevention general knowledge, with examples he’s come across while inspecting homes in the Minnesota winter.

Minnesota got dumped on this weekend with nearly fifteen inches of snow in some areas.  With hardly any snow last winter, we almost forgot what a real snow storm looked like.   I haven’t heard about any concerns over ice dams yet, but I suspect they’ll be coming very soon.  The perfect conditions for ice dams are large amounts of snow and temperatures in the teens and twenties, which is what we’re expected to have this week.

Read the Full Post: How to Prevent Ice Dams

Ice Dam Removal, Ice Dam Prevention

Removing Ice Dams in Minnesota: We Serve Many Areas in the Minneapolis Metro

The Ice Dam company based out of Hopkins, Minnesota, about 5 miles west of Minneapolis. We've done gutter ice removal, roof ice removal and ice dam removal all over the Twin Cities, on new houses and old ones.

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