Ice Dam Removal & Prevention in Wausau, WI
On a sloped house roof, an ice dam is the ridge of ice at the eaves. On a flat or low-slope roof it looks different but does the same damage: a drain, scupper or gutter freezes shut, meltwater from the snow above backs up behind it, and that water sits against seams, flashings and laps that were never meant to hold standing water. When the temperature swings above freezing during the day and below at night, the backup gets worse every cycle. The fix today is getting the water moving: opening the drains and scuppers and clearing channels through the ice to them, carefully, because axes and chisels cut membranes. The fix for next winter is finding out why the ice formed: heat escaping through poor insulation near the drain, a scupper too small for the roof, gutters that freeze first, or a drain line that freezes inside an unheated space.
What's included
- Frozen roof drains and scuppers opened
- Channels cleared through ice to the drains
- Snow cleared from around drains and leak areas
- Ice removed without chopping into the membrane
- Leaks under the ice traced and dried in
- Gutters and downspouts on flat sections cleared
- Causes found: heat loss, undersized scuppers, frozen drain lines
- Heat-trace and insulation recommendations
- Photo report for your records and insurer
Sound like your roof?
Not sure what is wrong or what it should cost? If any of these sound familiar, tell us about the roof. We'll tell you what it probably is, then confirm it on the roof and give you a written price before any work starts.
- Water coming in during a thaw with snow still on the roof
- Ice built up around a drain or across a scupper
- Icicles hanging from the scuppers or gutters of a flat roof
- Ceiling stains near outside walls in late winter
- Standing water frozen across a low corner of the roof
Leaking right now? Protect the inside first
Move inventory, files and electronics away from the drip, shut off power to any light fixture or panel that is getting wet, and put down buckets or plastic. Keep people out from under a ceiling that is sagging with water above it. Don't send staff onto the roof during a storm, in the dark, or when it is icy or snow-covered. Low-slope roofs have skylights, open edges and slick membranes. Then request service: an active leak can usually be dried in temporarily until a permanent repair is possible.
From the first call to a dry roof
Tell Us About the Roof
The building, the roof type if you know it, and what is happening: an active leak, a stain, ponding water, storm damage, or a roof that is just getting old. Active leaks go to the front of the line.
Roof Assessment
We walk the roof, trace the problem, check the drains and flashings, and take core samples or moisture readings where the insulation might be wet.
Written Options and Price
You get a written scope and price. When more than one approach makes sense, repair, coating and replacement are laid out side by side with what each one buys you.
Work Done and Documented
The work is done to the manufacturer's specification, and you get a photo report and any warranty paperwork for your files.
You may also need
Roof Snow Removal
Snow and drifts cleared from flat and low-slope roofs when the load gets heavy, without cutting the membrane, with drains opened and the roof checked for damage while we are up there.
Learn moreEmergency & Storm Repair
Active leaks, wind-peeled edges, hail damage, fallen limbs and ice-dam leaks on flat and commercial roofs: dried in or tarped first to stop the water, then repaired properly, with photos for your insurer.
Learn moreDrainage & Ponding Repair
Roof drains, scuppers, gutters and downspouts repaired or added, and low spots fixed with crickets and tapered insulation, so water leaves the roof before it freezes or finds a seam.
Learn moreIce Dam Removal — FAQs
By opening the drains and scuppers and cutting controlled channels through the ice to them, with tools that won’t cut the membrane. Steam and hand tools are slower than chopping but don’t cause new leaks. See ice dams on flat roofs.
Please don’t. Axes, chisels and shovels are the most common cause of membrane cuts we find in spring, and an icy flat roof is a dangerous place to work.
It depends on why they form. Common fixes are better insulation around the drains, heat trace in drains, scuppers and gutters, larger scuppers or added drains, and correcting low spots where water collects.