One Expensive Way to “Save Money” On Ice Dam Removal
You’ve got ice dams, and you want them off your roof, but you also want to save a few bucks if possible. Reasonable enough.
So you give your ice dam removal technician some simple instructions: “Just clear overhangs, and only remove snow that’s between you and the ice dam.”
Most ice dams form on the overhangs. The ice dam is the problem, so why would you want to pay your ice dam removal company to remove snow from the rest of the roof?
The problem is new ice dams may form right where we stopped shoveling. That’s because you wanted us to leave the snow higher up on the roof. That very snow may melt (and probably will), run down your roof, and refreeze. The only difference between it and the ice dam you paid us to remove is that the new ice dam will form a little higher up on the roof, right where we stopped shoveling.
You haven’t ended your ice dam problem: You’ve just moved it up your roof, and a couple weeks down your calendar.
But as with movie sequels, Part II of your ice dam story will probably be worse than the original. If an ice dam forms on the part of the roof where you had us stop shoveling and start “saving money,” it’s actually more likely to cause leaks in your home than the original ice dam you had us remove.
That’s because the middle and higher parts of your roof don’t have “ice & water shield” – a thin rubber membrane that runs along the first 3-6 feet of your overhangs, right under the shingles. You’ll have an instant leak the moment water (i.e., melted snow) pools up behind an ice dam.
These ice dams are harder to see because they’re located further up the slope of your roof. You may only know about ice dam Part II once you feel water drops on your head (while sitting on your couch!).
This has happened to many of our “thriftier” customers. They’ll call us back out in a week or two, often in a panic, because they assume their leak was caused by something we may or may not have done. In reality, the new ice dam formed right where they told us to stop shoveling, and with no ice and water shield under that part of the roof, it doesn’t take long for an ice dam to cause a major leak.
If the homeowner only wants the immediate problem removed again, then the cycle continues.
It’s your pocketbook, and if you only have enough money to tackle the most-glaring problem today, then we can help you, and that may very well be all you need.
But you’ll be the least ice-dam-prone if we care of the entire roof all at once – and it’s actually the most cost-effective way to go. We’ve already taken the time to hook up our equipment and get on your roof, so you’re not paying for prep time twice. We can remove snow a heck of a lot faster than we can remove ice. So as long as you’ve got an ice dam removal technician on your roof, we highly recommend taking care of everything at once.
Most homeowners just want the ice dam removed and they don’t worry as much about the snow. But they forget that the ice dam is a direct result of the melting snow. “Penny wise and pound foolish” is especially painful when your home and belongings (and sanity) are at stake.
Once we’ve removed the ice dam, we hope you’ll go the extra mile and allow us to clear the entire roof of snow. You’ll be doing yourself and your home a favor.
