Perhaps I should say ice dams. I was sitting here typing when all of a sudden it occured to me the dripping that I was hearing was inside:mad: so it's a new roof this spring. I'm thinking of going with metal if it will cure the problem:confused:. I tried the wires and even had prblems then. I am going to increase the insulation in the attic but don't think thats the answer. The house is 40ish years old so there is no ridge vent or soffit vents just gable vents. I am not sure what to do. Has anyone else dealt with this? Any recommendations?

going out to shovel a section of roof right now seeing we may get 2" of rain on Saturday and it has been a problem spot in years past.

Is it the original roof?

need pics. Front, side to show pitch, and esp. overhangs. Add the ridge and soffit vents when you do the roof. You can find the round 1.25" soffit vents that you just drill and pop in each bay. The roofers do the ridge, matter of minutes with a skillsaw.

Get a roof rake. If you have over 4" of snow get it off the bottom 6' of roof . I make my living in insurance work. Believe me, this is the only sure cure.

Buchman say roof rake, that`s what they do way up north.
But you need some type of bottom vent to have a flow!

Mental roof will provent water back up DAM roof. But they can be loud, with rain or hail. And costly$$$$$

It's not the original roof, and I'll get some pictures tomorrow. I was thinking of putting in sofit vents just never got around to it :wall:. I was also considering those gutterless rain/runoff diverter thingies (rainhandler I think they're called), the ones that look like some sort of stepped louvers. I think I'm heading up the ladder tomorrow to chip some more of the ice away.

the ones that look like some sort of stepped louvers. .

sounds like Hixvent or Hicksvent however it's spelled

ya put venting in and a flow of cold air under the roof sheathing can help keep the ice damns away, hixvent and ridgevent. Along with new roof with ice and water shield sticky membrane stuff.

DON"T CHIP, you can break the shingles and create a bigger problem. Put some ice melter up there and create a place for the water to go and it won't back up under the shingles.

i like the rolled rubber peel and stick bitchathane
or whatever the heck it is....(Ross would know)
and make that edge bullet proof plus its quiet compared
to a metal roof and accomplishes the same thing.

Buchman say roof rake, that`s what they do way up north.


They don't have gutters, either ;)

i like the rolled rubber peel and stick bitchathane
or whatever the heck it is....(Ross would know)
and make that edge bullet proof plus its quiet compared
to a metal roof and accomplishes the same thing.

Thats the Ice and Water product that Slip mentioned. But it is an underlayment, not meant to be the exterior roofing by itself.

Here's a temporary fix when you already have a dam....http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/skill-builder/0,,211604,00.html

Here's a pic of what it looks like. The heat loss through the upper roof area melts the snow, and the water runs down to just above the overhang. Since there is no heat from the overhang, the water freezes, a dam is created, and the water is forced back up into the warm roof area, where it will fin its way inside....