Ice dam and roof leak damage in Brookings

If water is coming through the ceiling

• Photograph the ceiling stain, the wall and the ice along the eaves from the ground.
• Check the attic, if it is accessible, for wet insulation and frost on the roof sheathing.
• Call the insurer to open a claim, and keep receipts for tarps, buckets or any snow removal.

Call about an ice dam leak

Why ice dams form

The Minnesota Department of Commerce says ice dams are not mainly a roofing, ventilation or gutter problem, as often believed. The real cause is a home leaking warm air. Heat escapes into the attic, melts the underside of the snow on the roof, and the meltwater runs down until it reaches the cold eaves or soffit, where it refreezes into a dam. With a snow-covered roof and subfreezing weather, more ice builds up, and eventually water backs up and seeps into the home (Minnesota Commerce).

The National Roofing Contractors Association adds that snow itself acts as insulation, and that sun through the snow can also warm the roof surface (NRCA). Ice-dam protection membranes under the shingles help keep water out of the roof deck, but the NRCA says they do not stop ice dams from forming and should not be relied on alone to prevent leaks.

Why Brookings roofs are prone to them

The Brookings 2 NE station averages about 36 inches of snow a year, with February the snowiest month at about 7.1 inches, and the January high is only about 22°F (PlainClimate). Snow can sit on roofs for weeks while the house below is heated around the clock. Any home with gaps in attic air sealing or thin attic insulation lets that heat reach the roof deck, which is the condition Minnesota's guidance identifies as the root cause.

What not to do

Well-meant fixes often make things worse. The Minnesota Department of Commerce advises:

• Do not remove ice with chippers, chemicals or heat. These can damage shingles, gutters and other parts of the roof.
• Do not install heating cables, which it says shorten the life of the roof and add to energy costs.
• Do not add roof vents, including powered vents, which it says will not eliminate ice dams and often make the problem worse.

The NRCA generally does not recommend homeowners try to remove ice dams or shovel snow off roofs, because the roof covering, flashing and gutters can be damaged by breaking ice or dragging a snow rake, and for safety reasons. Where buildup is urgent, it suggests a professional roofing contractor. Minnesota Commerce recommends a professional ice dam removal service that uses steamers when water is already damaging ceilings and walls.

Preventing them next winter

Because the cause is heat loss, the lasting fix is in the attic. Minnesota Commerce recommends sealing attic air leaks with caulk or expanding spray foam and insulating to at least R-50 where space allows, and suggests an energy assessment with an infrared camera to find the leaks. Michigan's MI Ready preparedness guidance adds keeping gutters and downspouts clear, using a long-handled roof rake from the ground to keep snow loads down, and making sure air can move from the soffits along the underside of the roof and out through the vents (MI Ready).

What the water damage inside involves

Ice dam leaks tend to run inside the wall along the eaves, so the damage is often larger than the ceiling stain. A restoration provider will typically:

1. Check the attic and walls with moisture meters and a thermal camera to find where the water traveled.
2. Remove wet insulation from the attic floor and any saturated ceiling drywall.
3. Open the wall at the base or cut inspection holes if the water ran down an outside wall.
4. Dry the framing and sheathing with dehumidifiers and air movers until readings reach dry standard.
5. Replace insulation and drywall once the roof leak is stopped.

The EPA recommends drying wet materials within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth (EPA). Attics that leak every winter often show dark staining on the roof sheathing; see mold removal if that is visible.

Insurance notes

The South Dakota Division of Insurance lists the weight of ice and snow among the covered perils of the HO-2 form (SD Division of Insurance). Whether a particular ice dam leak is covered depends on the policy. The division's claims guidance says to photograph damage before temporary repairs, keep receipts for those repairs, and not make permanent repairs before the insurer inspects (SD Division of Insurance). The South Dakota insurance guide covers the rest.

Call a restoration provider