Noob Homeowner Question

[Jzero]

I'm getting some water leaking in where a lower roof meets the side of the house. I think it's pretty much because the gutters are frozen solid, so the snow melting on the upper roof is just dripping down the side of the house and working its way under the flashing.

Is there any good way to keep the gutters from freezing?

 

[amdskip]

A picture would help here. You probably had clogged gutters with leaves and crap which stopped the water and made them freeze.

 

[flamingelephant]

home depot or similar places sells a heated cord that you fasten to your roof to prevent this from happening. But, if your roof is leaking like that someone cheap'd out on the roof construction or reshingling.... didn't use an ice and water shield, or if its where the roof meets a wall did a bad flashing job

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: flamingelephant
home depot or similar places sells a heated cord that you fasten to your roof to prevent this from happening. But, if your roof is leaking like that someone cheap'd out on the roof construction or reshingling.... didn't use an ice and water shield, or if its where the roof meets a wall did a bad flashing job

The flashing looks OK. I just think the relatively flat rolled rubber roof wasn't meant to have 16" of snow piled up on top of it. The water is melting on the upper roof and rolling down the side of the house. If there's a small gap, it will surely find it

Nonetheless, I'm sure it is due to be resurfaced (I just moved in in Sept '04), which I'll do in the spring, but I think under extreme circumstances like that it would still leak.

The gutters up there seemed to be draining properly at the end of the summer, but I didn't climb up there and look. Maybe there is enough crap in there to cause freezing problems even if it doesn't appear to cause draining problems?

 

[Slacker]

What you have there is an "Ice Dam" googled for more info................. Ice Dams are not your friend


Here is a possible short term solution.....................Panty hose full of calcium chloride.

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: Slacker
What you have there is an "Ice Dam" googled for more info................. Ice Dams are not your friend


Here is a possible short term solution.....................Panty hose full of calcium chloride.

Damn ice is more like it

I was throwing some ice melter up there this afternoon, but that thing with the stocking might be a good fix until spring, or at least until it all melts away....

 

[Slacker]

The Ice Dam is telling you that you are loosing money through your attic, your roof is being heated by the air that should be heating your living area, you need to insulate the attic floor better, seal air gaps between the attic and living area, and make sure there is good ventilation from the eaves to the roof cap, the attic should be cold if it is not used as living space.

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: Slacker
The Ice Dam is telling you that you are loosing money through your attic, your roof is being heated by the air that should be heating your living area, you need to insulate the attic floor better, seal air gaps between the attic and living area, and make sure there is good ventilation from the eaves to the roof cap, the attic should be cold if it is not used as living space.

No attic here. As such, the flat roof is directly above the heated living space with only about 8" of buffer which is packed with insulation.

It may technically be poor design, but here in the Philly area, we don't usually get this much snow all winter, let alone in one shot. When it snowed just an inch or two the week before, there wasn't any problem.

Perhaps the insulation up there could use some improvement, but that would be a pretty hefty job to rip out all of the ceilings. If possible, I think I'm looking for a more external solution. Cleaner gutters, better gutters, gutter guards, maybe one of those heating elements mentioned earlier...

Although it may just be a matter of pushing the snow off the roof if it snows that much all at once.