Ice dams and snow removal

Getting it off

Low pressure steam. Not a chisel, not a hatchet, and not a pressure washer, all of which take granules or shingles with the ice. Steam melts a channel and the dam releases without touching the roof underneath.

If water is already coming in, channels through the dam relieve it the same visit and buy time before the full removal.

Roof raking

Pulling the load down off the lower slopes before it becomes a dam is cheaper than steaming one off, and cheaper again than the drywall. Worth doing after any big storm cycle.

Then the actual cause

A dam means heat is getting into the attic. Once the ice is gone we will look at soffit intake, ridge exhaust and where warm air is leaking up, because otherwise you will be calling again next February. Snow load is a separate question, and it matters too.