rodger. Posted February 16, 2015 Report Share Posted February 16, 2015 The maritimes (halifax in specific) has been shut down for the next 36 hours. Looks like New England is taking a pounding too. Anyone in either of these places? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted February 16, 2015 Report Share Posted February 16, 2015 Yup. Southern MA. 80"+ in 3 weeks. Another foot today. Today legitimately broke me. Spent a few hours on a 30 foot ladder breaking ice dams with a framing hammer. Ugh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted February 16, 2015 Report Share Posted February 16, 2015 Damn guys, good luck to all of you. Hope a warm thaw comes soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted February 16, 2015 Report Share Posted February 16, 2015 Hhhmmmm...just looked outside, we have a good half inch of ice on the ground, and freezing rain still falling. The 25-mile commute is going to be interesting this morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfitz Posted February 16, 2015 Report Share Posted February 16, 2015 Yup - I'm in Southeastern MA. Got about 15-18" from this last round, but it's hard to tell because it's blowing all over the place. On top of the tons of snow so far. Thankfully we have a snowblower - I can't imagine having to throw it all up over the snowbanks by hand. Well, actually, I can - we spent yesterday helping out with a nearby barn that collapsed, and had to shovel out another barn to find equipment and make room for horses and trailers. Reminded me how much I appreciate my snowblower. Spent a few hours on a 30 foot ladder breaking ice dams with a framing hammer. Ugh. Yikes - good luck with that. I have been on a ladder as well - it seems the back of our house which gets the direct sun gets ice filled gutters. No issues with water in the house yet though. How has the hammer worked? Have you looked into the "ice melt in a stocking" trick? I've used it oftgen with good results; it doesn't clear the guter but it does melt a channel through it to get the water out. Unfortunately it's only temporary as the ice will reform around it. I used hot water from a garden hose to "cut" out sections of ice from the gutter. It was slow going - about 10' of gutter per hour - bu I cleared a lot and managed to get some heating cables in there. That should at least keep the water moving and slow down the ice buildup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted February 16, 2015 Report Share Posted February 16, 2015 Yup - I'm in Southeastern MA. Got about 15-18" from this last round, but it's hard to tell because it's blowing all over the place. On top of the tons of snow so far. Thankfully we have a snowblower - I can't imagine having to throw it all up over the snowbanks by hand. Well, actually, I can - we spent yesterday helping out with a nearby barn that collapsed, and had to shovel out another barn to find equipment and make room for horses and trailers. Reminded me how much I appreciate my snowblower. Yeah I actually bought a snowblower back in November. About a month ago I was wondering if I was ever gonna get to use it. Famous last words I guess. I've already had to change the oil after my first 20 hours of use...in three weeks. What a machine though. I'd give up my sawstop before my snowblower - and that's saying something. Yikes - good luck with that. I have been on a ladder as well - it seems the back of our house which gets the direct sun gets ice filled gutters. No issues with water in the house yet though. How has the hammer worked? Have you looked into the "ice melt in a stocking" trick? I've used it oftgen with good results; it doesn't clear the guter but it does melt a channel through it to get the water out. Unfortunately it's only temporary as the ice will reform around it. Honestly the hammer didn't work that well. I made some progress but not enough. I've done the pantyhose trick, and like you said it works well for a bit before it refreezes. Honestly at this point I've given up and am gonna hire someone to steam it professionally. I hate paying people for stuff like this, but the main thing now is that the dams are right above a 20' wall of built ins that I literally just finished a few weeks ago, and I would probably have a mental breakdown if they got ruined by a leak, so at this point I'm desperate to get rid of the dams any way I can. I see you're in Mansfield - I work with a guy from Mansfield - seems like you guys got killed there too. I am in Norwell - the ocean effect snow in the last storm basically just settled over us and dumped an extra foot. So brutal. Here's a pic of my house two weeks ago. We've gotten another 3.5 feet since this picture was taken: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted February 16, 2015 Report Share Posted February 16, 2015 I used to live in a similar house. Mine was 1860. Know the age of yours? If it predates trusses and is not just a revival build, you should have plenty of depth to fill your attic with fiber and still ventilate your eave. This is worth investigating because I completely eliminated ice dams at that home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfitz Posted February 17, 2015 Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 The whole South Shore looks like its gotten hit pretty hard. I know Norwell - I am from Weymouth and my wife is from Rockland so we know the area. Good luck - I hope the built-ins and the rest of your house stay ok! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwacked Posted February 17, 2015 Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 Reporting in from Texas. It was 80 yesterday. Although a cold front came in last night and it drizzled some rain on us and was about 45 today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted February 17, 2015 Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 I used to live in a similar house. Mine was 1860. Know the age of yours? If it predates trusses and is not just a revival build, you should have plenty of depth to fill your attic with fiber and still ventilate your eave. This is worth investigating because I completely eliminated ice dams at that home. Mine is only 1997 - it's a revival. But the attic is very well insulated and there's plenty of air flow through the soffit vents. I think it's just a case of the amount of snow being so overwhelming and the fact that I wasn't very diligent about cleaning the gutters, so the water clogged in the gutters and built up a bit dam, which then spread to the first 6-12" of roof on the eaves. I've been up in the attic every day and I haven't seen any moisture yet, but just trying to stay ahead of it. We'll see. The whole South Shore looks like its gotten hit pretty hard. I know Norwell - I am from Weymouth and my wife is from Rockland so we know the area. Good luck - I hope the built-ins and the rest of your house stay ok! Thanks, same to you! To make matters worse my shop isn't insulated, so I've only been able to work in 30-40 minute increments out there before my hands get numb. So I can't even take advantage of all these snow days! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted February 17, 2015 Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 Hey guys, explain the dams in the gutter problem. The concern is when the snow melts, right. Isn't the gutter lower in the front than against the house? How does water get into the house? Oh, and good luck to all of you. I hope this goes away quickly for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodger. Posted February 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 Hey guys, explain the dams in the gutter problem. The concern is when the snow melts, right. Isn't the gutter lower in the front than against the house? How does water get into the house? Oh, and good luck to all of you. I hope this goes away quickly for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted February 17, 2015 Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 Oh crap, I see now. Thanks pug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Kohl Posted February 17, 2015 Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 we got 10 inches yesterday. No one going anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfitz Posted February 17, 2015 Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 Great picture about ice dams, Pug. the issue is the "cold line" - between the warmer space under the insulating snow, and the bare exposed part. The snow acts as an insulator and 'traps' any of the heat from underneath, causing some melting, and when it hits the 'cold line' it freezes. Interestingly, I read that using a roof rake on only the lower part of your roof is good to remove the weight of the snow, but can actually cause the ice dam to just move further up the roof. Good prevention includes good attic insulation, and good attic venting. But at some point when you have some natural melting - like on the sunny side, where we get it - it can gradually build up ice in the gutters. Maybe we need to call them ice damns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted February 17, 2015 Report Share Posted February 17, 2015 Standard practice since the late eighties has been to use "ice and water", a self sealing adhesive underlayment, instead of roofing felt around the eaves of a house. Steep pitches get a run. Low pitches get a couple. This is fairly effective at keeping attics dry when a small amount of damming occasionally presents itself. A breathing eave is key. Too many still try to use gable vents and pods instead of a continuously vented eave and ridge. If there is no heat to trap, snow load is not as big an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonD Posted February 18, 2015 Report Share Posted February 18, 2015 Man, you guys think you have it bad? Down here we had a 73 degree day yesterday and had to deal with some rain last night! High of 60 today. I have it rough. Stay safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vyrolan Posted February 18, 2015 Report Share Posted February 18, 2015 Standard practice since the late eighties has been to use "ice and water", a self sealing adhesive underlayment, instead of roofing felt around the eaves of a house. Steep pitches get a run. Low pitches get a couple. This is fairly effective at keeping attics dry when a small amount of damming occasionally presents itself. A breathing eave is key. Too many still try to use gable vents and pods instead of a continuously vented eave and ridge. If there is no heat to trap, snow load is not as big an issue. Maybe standard practice for good roofers working for clients that aren't cheapskates...certainly not for bargain-hunting homeowners or cost-conscious builders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfitz Posted February 18, 2015 Report Share Posted February 18, 2015 Maybe standard practice for good roofers working for clients that aren't cheapskates...certainly not for bargain-hunting homeowners or cost-conscious builders. True! Most of the houses in our neighborhood (mid-to-late 90's construction) did not have the right underlayment. And surprise, many people are having issues! We had our roof re-done in 2012 as part of a renovation, and the guy said he always uses it - and we've had no issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted February 18, 2015 Report Share Posted February 18, 2015 I made an assumption based on the locale and likelihood of roofing inspection, the size and style of the home, and the fact that no other homes are crammed right next. Could be wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted February 19, 2015 Report Share Posted February 19, 2015 Yeah the house was built in 1997 and the roof was installed correctly (with the proper underlayment). I just spent about an hour in the attic and crawlspace and it actually looks pretty dry except for one spot, which does happen to be above the built ins, but the leak is basically directly over the soffit vent so it's currently just leaking right out. And it's a very slow leak. If it moves any further up then I'll have a problem. I have some guys coming out tomorrow to basically clear all the snow off, plus we're supposed to get some warmer weather (relatively speaking) this weekend, so hopefully all that will be enough to melt the ice dams down a bit and get rid of some of the risk. Who the hell knows though, we could get another foot tomorrow the way things are going lately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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