Brothers Melts Ice Dams, Not Budgets!
Water that backs up behind ice dams can leak into your buildings and cause damage to walls, floors, ceilings, insulation and other areas. Protect your property this winter with Brothers' ice dam removal services. Pricing Starts at $275 per hour. Typical performance is 15 feet of roof line per hour.
For an estimate contact contact Brothers Services.
Asking Dam Questions. Getting Dam Answers.
Ice in your Margarita is a good thing. Ice dams on your roof can be a very bad thing. Ice dams are formed when snow melts and backs up behind roof ice, causing water to leak into the structure, damaging walls, ceilings, and insulation. Proper and timely removal of ice dams is critical in avoiding costly damage to your roofing system. By using high temperature, midpressure steam, Brothers can safely and effectively remove ice dams with a minimal amount of water.
According to Travis Crawford, Brothers Ice Dam Removal Specialist, "Ice dam removal is definitely something that you want to make sure you do the right way. The best case scenario for doing it the wrong way is that you might only make the problem a little bit worse."
Q: What's the worst case scenario? A: "Let's not discuss it."
Q: How do you get started? A: "The first thing you need to do is determine how far back the ice dam goes."
Q: Can that be done from the ground? A: "I can't imagine how it could be done without getting up there.
We remove the snow by shoveling 4-5 feet back to find the ice line. That's where your work starts. A lot of people think that you're supposed to melt all of the ice on the roof. Big mistake. You have way too much water being used. The right way to do it is to steam at the ice line where the ice dam starts. Ideally the steam would go between the ice and shingles so it pops off. Then we lift the ice off the roof, eliminating the problem.
There has to be sufficient amount of snow cover on the roof of a structure in order for ice dams to form, but that's not the only factor involved. The roof surface temperature at areas of higher elevation has to be warm enough for the ice to melt. This is typically the result of inadequate, displace, or improper insulation. In addition, the lower elevation of the roof (along the edge) must be cold enough for the melted snow to re-freeze. Ice dams are not formed on those sunny winter days when the sun melts the snow on your roof, though that may be the time when the water damage from and ice dam becomes evident."
Continuing with our interview with Travis:
Q: What's different about the way you remove ice dams? A: "I can't say how everybody else does it, but I've seen and heard some goofy stuff. If somebody tells you they can remove them from the ground, tell them no thanks. One difference is that we use a lower pressure setting than some of the other companies do, because it melts better and has less risk of damaging the roof."
Q: How do you handle safety? A: "We work in two person teams, one guy up and one guy down. I have a 5 point safety harness that I always make sure I have tied before I do anything else. You also need to have good communication with the guy on the ground because some of these ice pieces are huge. It's kind of like cutting down a tree. You have to plan ahead so you know where it's going to fall and you have to be sure that nothing and nobody is in the way."
Brothers is your source for information and advice on Ice Dams. If you are concerned that Ice Dams may be forming on your roof or if you expect to have problems with them, give us a call. We come out and give you a no cost assessment of the situation, spelling out the options and the risks so you can make an informed choice.
