Ice at the eave is made by warm air leaving the house

Tick what is true of your attic. The section shows where the heat is getting in, and each answer says plainly whether it is our work, a different trade's, or both.

Book a visit (509) 224-2723

How it happens

Snow on the upper roof melts because the attic beneath it is warmer than it should be. The water runs down to the eave, which is cold because there is no heated space under it, and refreezes. The ridge of ice that builds up there dams the next lot of meltwater, which backs up under the shingles.

So the fix is never on the roof. It is stopping heat getting into the attic in the first place.

Tick what is true of your attic

There is heating or cooling duct work up in the attic A bathroom or kitchen fan vents into the attic, or you do not know where it goes The attic hatch is uninsulated, or it is draughty around it Insulation is pushed into the eaves, or the soffit vents look blocked The insulation is thin, uneven, or you can see the joists Recessed downlights poke up into the attic from the ceiling below

Where the heat is getting in

Nothing ticked yet

Tick something on the left. Most houses that get ice dams have three or four of these at once, and the cheap ones usually matter most.

Duct work in the attic. Heated air leaking out of supply ducts, and hot duct surfaces radiating into the attic, are among the biggest contributors we find — and they are the part of this list that is squarely our trade. Sealing and properly insulating attic ducts helps the ice, the heating bill and the comfort of the rooms at the same time.Our work
A fan venting into the attic. A bathroom fan dumping warm wet air into a cold attic is a heat source and a moisture source at once. It should terminate outside, through the roof or a gable, with an insulated duct and a working damper.Our work
The attic hatch. An uninsulated, unsealed hatch is a hole in the ceiling of the house. Weatherstripping it and putting a box of insulation over it is a small job with a large effect, and it is air sealing rather than roofing.Our work, or a handy owner
Blocked eave vents. The attic needs cold outside air moving through it so the roof deck stays cold. Insulation stuffed into the eaves blocks that, and baffles are what keep the path open. This is insulation and ventilation work.Insulation contractor
Thin or uneven insulation. The less insulation over the ceiling, the more heat reaches the roof deck. Topping it up is usually the highest-value single item in this list, and it is an insulation contractor's job rather than ours.Insulation contractor
Recessed downlights. Old recessed fittings are holes in the ceiling with a warm lamp in them. Sealed, insulation-contact-rated fittings exist and are the fix; changing them is electrical work.Electrician

Everything on this page is about stopping heat reaching the roof deck. If ice has already caused a leak, the damage itself is a roofer's problem and an insurance question — and removing ice from a roof is dangerous work that neither of us should be doing off a ladder in February.

Plainly

What we will and will not take on

We willSeal and insulate attic duct work, re-route a fan so it terminates outside, seal around our own penetrations through the ceiling, and air seal an attic hatch.
We will notFit or top up attic insulation, install baffles, replace downlights, work on the roof, or remove ice. Those are three other trades and we will say which.
We will tell you honestlyOn plenty of houses the biggest single item here is insulation, and we do not sell insulation. Saying so costs us a job and keeps you from paying for the wrong one.

Book a visit