How to Remove an Ice Dam Safely

The safe way to deal with an ice dam is to pull snow off the lower edge of the roof from the ground with a non-metallic roof rake, and to hire a crew that melts the ice with steam rather than breaking it. Chipping, piling on salt or chemicals, pressure washing and open flame trade one winter problem for a damaged roof.

The homeowner’s job stays on the ground. The ice itself sits on the most slippery, most fragile part of the roof, and removing it is work for people with steam equipment and fall protection.

Does This Ice Dam Need Action Now?

Not every ice dam needs removal the day you notice it. Act now if any of these is true:

• Water is coming inside. Stains spreading on a ceiling or wall near an exterior wall point to meltwater backing up under the shingles. Start with what to do inside while a roof is leaking, then arrange removal.
• The roof is also carrying heavy snow. Foot for foot, ice is heavier than fresh snow. FEMA’s Snow Load Safety Guide (P-957), from January 2013, says “1 foot of ice weighs approximately 57 pounds per square foot.” If ceilings sag or doors bind, see snow load warning signs first.
• Large icicles hang over a door, walkway or driveway. Falling ice injures people and breaks things below. Keep the area closed off until it is dealt with.

If there is no leak, no sign of strain, and a thaw is forecast, waiting can be a reasonable choice. Keep the snow on the lower roof raked down from the ground so less snow is left to melt and feed the dam. If the same storm also brought down limbs or tore off shingles, work through the post-storm checks before arranging ice removal.

Removal Options From Safest to Riskiest

There are three ways people deal with ice dams. The rake only takes away the snow that feeds the dam; steaming and work at the eave go after the ice itself. What separates them most is what each one puts at risk:

The rake is the right homeowner tool. FEMA’s P-957 says “snow removal can be conducted from the ground, removing the risk to people on a hazardous roof,” and advises using “a non-metallic snow rake for steep roof slopes if possible.” University of Minnesota Extension’s guide to dealing with ice dams adds a caution: a roof rake and push broom “can be used to remove snow, but may damage the roofing materials.” Pull snow down from the lower few feet of the roof in strips, leave a thin layer rather than scraping to the shingles, and stop at the ice.

Ladder work is where people get hurt. If you set a ladder near the house for any winter task, the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s ladder and power line guidance says to “make sure the distance to the nearest overhead line is at least twice the length of the ladder.” The guide to ladder safety for roof work covers setup, angle and footing. Do not use a ladder to reach the ice itself.

What Damages the Roof: Chipping, Rock Salt, Pressure Washers, and Flame

Minnesota’s Department of Commerce is blunt about it. Its ice dam guidance says: “Do not remove ice with chippers, chemicals or heat.” Its home energy guide on ice dams explains why: “Removing the ice with chippers, chemicals, or heat can damage shingles, gutters, and other building components.”

Each method fails in its own way:

• Chipping, hammering or prying. Ice bonds to the shingle surface and fills the gaps between tabs. Striking it breaks shingles that are already stiff from cold, tears tabs loose and dents or rips gutters off the fascia.
• Rock salt and chemical melters. Piling melt products on the roof leaves residue that washes onto shingles, metal flashing, gutters and the plants below. The Minnesota guidance groups chemicals with chippers and heat as methods to avoid.
• Pressure washers. A pressure washer relies on force. The water stream can strip granules, drive water up under the shingle laps, and leave more water on the roof to refreeze.
• Torches, heat guns and open flame. Heat applied to an asphalt roof can scorch shingles and ignite debris or the wood behind the eave. A 1979 University of Minnesota Extension fact sheet on preventing ice dams put it this way: “Homeowners should never chop through the ice down to the shingles or use a blow torch.”

If a contractor proposes any of these, find another contractor.

Steaming: What a Removal Crew Should Use

The Minnesota Department of Commerce advises homeowners to “hire a professional ice dam removal service that uses steamers.” A steamer heats water into low-pressure steam and lets the heat do the work, melting through the ice in channels and sections without striking the roof. The difference from a pressure washer is the point: steam melts, while a pressure washer pushes.

You do not need the machine’s specifications to judge the crew. What you can check:

• Ask the crew to name the machine they use and confirm in writing that it is a steamer, not a pressure washer.
• Ask whether they melt the ice down to a thin layer or to the shingle surface; either way, nothing should strike the roof.
• Ask how they protect gutters and what happens to meltwater during the job.
• Ask how they work safely on the roof; the crew, not you, should be the one on the ice.

Heat Cables: A Stopgap, Not a Fix

Heat cables zigzagged along the eaves are sold as an ice dam answer. The Minnesota Department of Commerce says “do not install heating cables,” and its home energy guide says installing them “will shorten the life of your roof and cost you money to operate.” The 1979 Extension sheet observed that the melting effect of heat tape is “limited to only a few inches from the cable,” which can leave new ice just beyond its reach.

The most a cable can do is keep a drainage path open along a short stretch of eave while the real cause goes untreated. If one is already installed, have it checked before winter by someone qualified to work on it, and do not treat it as the plan.

Hiring Ice Dam Removal: What to Get in Writing

FEMA’s P-957 says snow removal on the roof “should be performed by a licensed, insured professional roofing contractor,” and an ice removal crew, working on the same roof, should be held to that standard too. Before anyone goes up, get these in writing:

1. Method. Steam only, with no chipping, chemicals, pressure washing or heat.
2. Insurance. A certificate of liability insurance and proof of workers’ compensation, which you confirm with the insurer named on it. Reading and confirming a certificate of insurance is covered step by step in its own guide.
3. Scope. Which eaves, valleys and gutters are included, and whether snow above the dam is removed too.
4. Price basis. How the job is priced, any minimum charge, and what counts as the end of the job.
5. Damage terms. Who pays if gutters, shingles or flashing are damaged during removal.
6. Leak check. Whether the crew will note where water was entering, so the cause can be found later.

Photograph the ice dam before the crew starts and the eave after they finish.

Rake, Hire, or Wait for a Thaw?

Rake when the snow above the eave is reachable from the ground, nothing is leaking, and the house shows no strain. Hire a steam crew when water is coming inside, when the ice is thick or loaded with heavy snow, or when icicles threaten a doorway. Wait for a thaw only when there is no leak, no strain and the forecast is warming, and keep raking from the ground in the meantime.

None of these stops the next ice dam. That comes from the attic, not the roof, and why ice dams form and how to prevent them covers the fix. For this winter, rake from the ground only, and before hiring, get the method, the insurance certificate and the price basis in writing.

This guide is general information for U.S. homeowners, not legal, insurance, tax, or engineering advice. Codes, laws, and policy terms vary by location and change over time; confirm details with your local building department, your insurer, or a licensed professional.

Sources

• Snow Load Safety Guide, FEMA P-957, Federal Emergency Management Agency
• Dealing with and preventing ice dams, University of Minnesota Extension
• Ladders and Electricity Don’t Mix (Publication 5060), U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
• Got ice dams? Learn what to do and how to prevent them to save energy, Minnesota Department of Commerce
• Home Energy Guide: Attic air leaks = ice dams, Minnesota Department of Commerce
• Preventing Ice-Dams on Minnesota Homes (Forestry Fact Sheet No. 12-1979), University of Minnesota Agricultural Extension Service