Ice Dam Removal in Manchester, NH

How an ice dam forms

House heat gets into the attic. It leaks past light fixtures and the attic hatch, around the chimney and plumbing stacks, through thin insulation. That warms the roof deck over the living space. Snow on the warm part of the roof melts, even on a day well below freezing, and the water runs downhill.

When it reaches the eave, which hangs out past the heated wall over cold air, it freezes. Each day adds a layer. Eventually the ridge of ice is tall enough that water pools behind it, and shingles are only built to shed water running downhill. Standing water works its way back up under them and into the wall or ceiling.

Southern New Hampshire winters, with sunny days, cold nights and snow that sits for weeks, suit ice dams well. Thick icicles along the gutter line are the sign you can see from the driveway.

Steaming, chipping and what to ask

Low-pressure steam is the method most often recommended for removing ice dams. It cuts channels through the ice, or melts it off, without hammering on the shingles. A pressure washer is a different tool, and high-pressure water can strip granules and drive water under the shingles.

Chipping with hammers, hatchets or picks is how roofs get wrecked. Ice grips the shingle surface. Hack at it and shingles tear, and the underlayment gets punctured too. Stopgap trick: fill a stocking with calcium chloride and lay it across the dam. It melts a drain channel. Rock salt is the wrong product; it harms shingles, metal and plants.

So ask whoever you hire, Crimson Maple included, what method they use and what equipment they bring. The owner hasn't published that, so this page doesn't claim it. The answer tells you a lot about how the roof will look afterwards.

The real fix: air sealing, insulation, ventilation

You want the attic about as cold as outdoors. Getting there takes air sealing, then insulation, then ventilation, roughly in that order.

Why sealing first? Insulation slows heat conducting through it. Warm air sneaking through a gap just goes around it. The big leaks tend to be at the chimney, along the tops of interior walls, at recessed lights and the hatch. Also every pipe or wire poking through the ceiling. ENERGY STAR publishes homeowner guidance on sealing and insulating an attic.

Insulation goes on after that. New Hampshire's energy code sets how much new work needs, and many older attics hold far less. Ventilation, with intake at the soffits and exhaust at or near the ridge, then carries off whatever heat still gets through and keeps the roof deck cold.

Old houses and help with the cost

Devin describes most of the houses he works in as older town-houses from the 1800s and 1900s. Houses from that era often have little insulation, balloon-framed walls whose cavities open straight into the attic, and cramped eaves that are hard to reach. They tend to be prone to ice dams.

NHSaves, the efficiency program run through New Hampshire's utilities, offers home energy assessments and incentives for weatherization. Programs and amounts change, so check what's current before planning attic work. An assessment is a good way to find the air leaks feeding your ice dams.

Why it is on the list, and what to send

"Ice-dam clearing" sits on the list Devin gave next to "Winter-time Roof snow removal" and roofing. For a general contractor who describes the business as able to do "anything from frame to finish", it's a natural fit. The same trades that repair a leak-stained ceiling afterwards understand how the roof and attic above it are built.

The business's own line is "Message us a photo — we’ll get you a number." Take a photo of the eaves from the ground. Get the big icicles, and any stains or wet spots inside. How many stories is the house? Say so. Nobody's published cold-snap availability. Call (603) 722-3344 and ask.