The Ice Dam Cometh...

The extreme winter weather is still with us. And with it comes issues. Last night I noticed ice trickles trailing down the siding of our home. I knew that this was not a good sign. I had heard a spot on some TV show about what ice dams actually are and what causes them. Thanks to that bit of information, I was able to realize that we had a problem brewing under the snow on our roof. Ice dams are kind of like mini glaciers that form and block snow and ice melt from flowing freely down to the gutter. With ice dams can come leaks through the roof into the attic, through ceilings and into walls. So this morning, Tramp 1 stayed home from work long enough to check out the situation and bingo, under the snow lurked a big ice dam. It is on the garage roof under a gabled facade that is quite tall and has an area where snow can drift. The sun we had the other day, while so warm feeling and nice, started to melt some of the snow and then it froze up again. Perfect conditions for the start of an ice dam. Tramp 1 climbed up a ladder and used a garden rake to remove the snow several feet up the roof and uncovered the area that is all built up with ice. While he was out doing that, I, being the typical woman, got on the Internet to learn about how to treat the problem. What is it with these guys? They just don't want to learn - only to do!! Anyway, the best solution for the time being is to take the leg of a pair of panty hose and fill it with calcium or potassium chloride and knot it. Then you position it with a garden tool like a hoe where it hangs down across the ice dam, to the gutter. It will slowly melt a pathway through the ice for water to follow instead of freezing up more. Our ice dam is large enough height wise to require a couple legs of panty hose. I am going to prepare the hose - (sure hope I have some!) and Tramp 1 will pick up the chemicals on his way home from work. I suggested he get back here before dark as this could be a tricky maneuver. And in the meantime, I have been out to check the situation myself and found that the gutter, too, is filled with ice. So I have been up and down the ladder some 12 times with a gallon of hot water each time that I have been pouring in the gutter. When I could finally get the ice to release from the gutter, I used the hot water like a saw and was able to "cut" the ice into chunks that I could remove. It took some time but it was so worth it! (And here we are, supposed to be conserving water due to the pump problem with the well..... but saving our roof/walls is more important!) Now I am going out to check all of the house and the shop for the same problem and I sure hope that they are all okay. More snow is on the way and I want to be sure that everything outside is ready.... The tough part is that I am not supposed to be doing some of these things - the impingement in my shoulder is starting to improve with physical therapy and I need to be so careful of what I do. But the value of peace of mind prevails.....