How to Free an Ice Dam on a Roof

An ice dam is an area of built-up ice and snow on a roof. They occur when heat escapes through the attic of your home, melts the snow and causes it to run down the roof into the eaves. Once it reaches the eaves, it re-freezes, creating a solid block of ice. If you have cracks in your roof, the dam can cause water buildup that can seep into your walls.

Paper bags
Potassium chloride de-icer
Stapler
Water
Ladder
Machinist's hammer

Instructions

- 1
  Fill a paper bag 3/4-full with potassium chloride de-icer. Staple the bag shut along the top.
- 2
  Moisten the bottom of the bag with water. Toss the bag onto the roof so it lands on top of the ice dam or just above it. Place one bag of de-icer every 2 or 3 feet along the dam.
- 3
  Leave the de-icer on the roof. The moist bottom will eventually break, releasing the de-icer onto the dam. Let it melt away as much of the ice dam as possible.
- 4
  Climb up your ladder until you reach the ice dam if there is any left after the de-icer has melted. Lightly tap it with a machinist's hammer every 12 inches until it cracks, then pull it off the roof by each broken section.

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