Icicles are a staple of winter. They are often pretty, sometimes dangerous, and always a sign that something is wrong inside the structure. Abra Kadabra is well known in the community for its pest and wildlife control work. What drives that is a desire to help our customers and our community.
Our technicians visit thousands of homes and businesses every month. We regularly discover issues tangential or unrelated to the complaint that brought us there. It’s not every day someone is looking in the attic or on the roof, but once we do, any other issues that may be present become very clear. We build education and services to help meet those needs, so we can truly take care of our customers. So, let’s talk about Icicles.
Why Icicles & Ice Dams Form
Your home is an ecosystem of sorts. Icicles usually mean one thing: heat has escaped into your attic space. This warms the roof, melting the snow higher up. It flows down and refreezes lower down where it is cooler, building a layer of ice on the edge; literally a dam that holds all the water and ice back. The risks to your home are the weight of the built-up ice, which can heave the shingles and damage the drip edge. Water can back up under the shingles and drain into the soffit or attic insulation, or even drip down into the walls. It re-freezes, expanding as it does so and adding to the overall weight. If it’s bad enough, the weight of the ice dam could pull the soffit or the gutters right off the side of a house. This warm spot may be caused by under-insulation, the insulation being tunneled through or flattened by mice or other wildlife, or by improper ventilation.
What You Can Do
This leaves you a few choices. Ideally, combined.
- Address any underlying wildlife or mouse concern, to stop further damage
- Re-insulate: top it off, replace soiled or compressed insulation, get it back to the correct depth and condition. Address ventilation issues if present
- Roof Rake: Clearing snow from the bottom 6-8 feet of the roofline goes a long way. Water is able to properly run off, so the ice dam never forms. If your issue is in the early stages, this is often enough to allow the ice dam to melt. Keeping up on this moves you forward into a proactive stance, at this point you can focus on prevention through ongoing snow removal.
- Steaming: If your ice dam is already substantial, the solution is to steam it off. It’s important to address it before structural damages get worse.
Quick Tips
- Clean your gutters out before winter. Clogged gutters decrease the ability for water to run off, and increase the potential for an ice dam.
- If you are seeing icicles, investigate the cause and plan your response accordingly.
- Roof rake after snowfalls.
- Ensure the attic is properly ventilated and insulated. In Minnesota, we want to see at least 16 inches of insulation.
- Remove icicles early and often. Like formations in caves, icicles just keep growing, only much faster.
*Avoid risky DIY tactics such as chipping the roof, using rock salt, or using water heaters. Not only do these endanger you, but they can also damage shingles and gutters. If you substantially damage the roof, you risk a non-coverage issue with your insurance.
How Abra Kadabra Can Help
Abra Kadabra’s Ice Dam Steaming & Prevention Services are the safest and most effective solutions available in Minnesota. Our team uses roof rakes and low-pressure, high-temperature steam to remove ice dams without harming your roof — a critical advantage compared to DIY methods. And they clean up below afterwards, so your driveways and walkways remain open.
Ice Dam Prevention (snow raking)
Our team will remove the snow on the lower portion of your roofline, as well as any common ice dam formation zones. Any snow removed will be cleared from driveways and walkways.
Ice Dam Removal (Steaming)
Ice and snow will be cleared five feet up from the gutter line using a high-temp low-pressure steamer and snow rakes. Access to water and power is required for this.
Call today
To request a consultation, call Abra Kadabra at (763) 265-7356. We’re happy to discuss your concerns.