There are fixes for ice dams, however most of them involve fixing when they aren't there.
1) Usually they are caused by your roof getting to warm due to heat or air leakage through the attic. The fix is to go up in the attic and seal _every_ penetrations with either Great Stuff(TM) or, for larger holes, foam board and Great Stuff. I don't recommend the latex variety. Use fireproof foam board and fireproof caulk. around the chimney. Once that is done put as much insulation as you can up there. (see caveats in point 2) The wet insulation all needs to be removed, and probably discarded.
2) Another problem could be if the roof isn't getting enough venting to keep it cool. Ideally there should be a vent in each bay at the soffit (the horizontal board under the eaves), and at least 1/2 as much (in square inches) at the peak of the roof. Either in the form of large vents in the gable ends, or a continuous one under the peak shingles.
3) Until you can get that done, you should rake the snow off the roof at least 4-5 feet up. Right now, if you can make even a little path for the water, it will help keep it outside.
4) Your roof is probably NOT ruined. A hot summer sun and some adjustment should get your shingles back where they were. _If_ you can dry the sheathing.
5) Do whatever you can to get it dry right away. Pull out the wet insulation, put a fan in the attic to dry it out, whatever. Nothing kills a house faster than water.
6) You may not need gutters. You need to keep the water away from the foundation, but there are other ways to do that. They should be mounted below the line (i.e. the tangent) of the roof.
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Date: 2007-12-21 01:00 am (UTC)There are fixes for ice dams, however most of them involve fixing when they aren't there.
1) Usually they are caused by your roof getting to warm due to heat or air leakage through the attic. The fix is to go up in the attic and seal _every_ penetrations with either Great Stuff(TM) or, for larger holes, foam board and Great Stuff. I don't recommend the latex variety. Use fireproof foam board and fireproof caulk. around the chimney. Once that is done put as much insulation as you can up there. (see caveats in point 2) The wet insulation all needs to be removed, and probably discarded.
2) Another problem could be if the roof isn't getting enough venting to keep it cool. Ideally there should be a vent in each bay at the soffit (the horizontal board under the eaves), and at least 1/2 as much (in square inches) at the peak of the roof. Either in the form of large vents in the gable ends, or a continuous one under the peak shingles.
3) Until you can get that done, you should rake the snow off the roof at least 4-5 feet up. Right now, if you can make even a little path for the water, it will help keep it outside.
4) Your roof is probably NOT ruined. A hot summer sun and some adjustment should get your shingles back where they were. _If_ you can dry the sheathing.
5) Do whatever you can to get it dry right away. Pull out the wet insulation, put a fan in the attic to dry it out, whatever. Nothing kills a house faster than water.
6) You may not need gutters. You need to keep the water away from the foundation, but there are other ways to do that. They should be mounted below the line (i.e. the tangent) of the roof.