Temporary Fix for an Ice Dam on a Roof

Snow Removal

• Often, manual removal of snow above the ice dam will adequately resolve ice dam problems. Use a snow rake safely to remove snow and any loose ice from a few feet above the dam. Leave a thin layer of snow on the roof to avoid scraping and damaging the roofing materials with the rake. Even if other temporary ice dam fixes will be pursued, manual snow removal first will generally increase the effectiveness of other methods. Although a snow rake is the most efficient tool for this task, a push broom may be used as a suitable substitute.

Chemical Deicers

• Chemical deicing compounds can be applied efficiently to an ice dam to create drainage paths. Choose a compound that will not corrode or stain roofing materials. Avoid rock salt and similarly damaging materials. Place small piles of deicer directly above the ice dam every few feet. Sprinkle a line of deicer from the pile to the roof edge to cut a channel. Alternatively, fill a nylon stocking with deicer, tie off the end and lay it across the dam.

Electric Heating Cables

• Electric heating cables can be utilized, if a source of electricity is located nearby, to provide a temporary solution to ice dam problems. Cables can be looped casually along the roof edges or attached in loops to a long board pulled up by ropes thrown over the other side. Regardless of how the cables are placed or installed, ensure that the cable loops extend beyond the roof edge to create adequate drainage channels.

Channeling With Warm Water

• Hosing the ice dam with relatively warm water from a tap or hose can provide temporary relief. If possible, connect the hose to an indoor spigot or temporarily turn water on to an outdoor spigot, as long as the hose and plumbing will not freeze. Get the stream of water as close to the ice dam as possible and work upwards from the bottom of the dam to create drainage channels for the water trapped above the dam. Under most circumstances, the channels will fill in with water and refreeze within a few days and the hosing must be repeated.