Picture I took off of the Wikipedia entry for Ice dams. This is not an advertisement for a specific energy auditor company. But let me know if this is not allowed.
This winter has been horrible for ice dams! As I drive around I see a ton of homes with huge icicles that frankly are dangerous.
If you are a DIYer or like to learn about building science, this is a good article/video about the topic: https://structuretech.com/ice-dams-3/
If you have ice dams this winter, I recommend an energy audit to figure out what is causing the issue and how you can fix it. The CEE Home Energy Squad is one organization that I believe is a good value and has connections with trusted contractors. There are other energy auditors around but I can't speak to their quality of service. I would love to hear your experiences with other companies though!
TLDR: Dont just ignore your ice dams! They can be dangerous or indicative of other problems!
edit: As discussed below, insulation is usually the culprit, though there are cases where added insulation doesn't fix it, and there are other solutions available to address these ice dams.
The best thing you can do for ice dams is have proper insulation and venting in your attic.
We had this done three years ago (taking advantage of utility, city and federal rebates) and have not had ice dams anywhere since.
The rebates (which were mail-in and federal tax credits) brought it down from a $3,200 job to $800.
I wonder if those are still going on? 🤔 my mom has bad ice dams because the DIY previous owners didn't insulate one side of the attic. But my mom can't afford to fix right now, especially if it's thousands. 800 she could do though
I think all of the federal tax credits for energy efficiency died when Trumps second term started.
Check with your city gov. Here in St. Louis Park we have staff dedicated to these things who can walk residents through available options.
Yup, a lot of the federal stuff is going away but many of the cities are trying to fill in that gap, I hope there will be more rebates in the new year. And it's so specific per city. The energy advisor service at CEE's Home Energy Squad can help people look into their city specific rebates and options. RIP IRA you will be missed
Which is tragic. We had tons of things planned this year, but the IRS is STILL HOLDING MY TAX RETURN. For various reasons (including getting married) it's nearly 20k. And now we can't do half of the things we need to.
Lovely.
https://www.centerpointenergy.com/en-us/residential/save-energy-money/efficiency-programs-and-rebates/air-sealing-insulation-rebates?sa=mn
https://co.my.xcelenergy.com/s/residential/home-rebates
Tax credits end December 31st 2025 thanks to the big beautiful bill.
I work at Budget Exteriors and we are currently doing free attic inspections for folks to let them know how their attic is. If anyone is interested let me know.
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Heater cable is like using a band aid instead of stitches.
-Sincerely, someone who professionally removes ice dams.
I would personally caution against roofing cables, and only use them as a last resort. They can damage roofs if not installed correctly (most off the time). They can be the best option in some cases, but definitely aren't the easiest to do well!
If you’re going to damage your roof by installing cables you need a new roof
You may be able to just buy a cheap mask and toss some insulation there for a quick improvement. My attic has a somewhat easy hatch access and the entire attic is open space. Easy to toss more up there
Just for any DIYers out there, some of the rebates are related to how much R value you already have. I can't quote the numbers exactly, but for instance if you have less than r30 you can get x rebate and if you have r30-r40 you get less rebate etc. So if you plan to get it done professionally at any point, don't just go ahead and do some now. Let the professionals handle it (and get a better deal!)
Great to hear how well insulation and venting really work! And that's an amazing discounted price đź‘€
What’s the second best thing to do when there really isn’t an attic because it’s a 1.5 story house and re doing any insulation requires replacing the ceilings?
Structure Tech has a blog post about that. They are a home inspection company here in the cities with an excellent blog and podcast. Structure Tech
I’d be absolutely shocked if you didn’t have an access hatch somewhere.
Second best option would be to add an access hatch.
Odds are you have a crawl space up there
not really. There is the exterior wall of the room. Which is cold. Then a 45° angled ceiling. Which is also cold. Because the roof is parallel to the ceiling. Because this is a cheap, old house.
If you qualify for Energy Assistance you can get a free energy audit from Sustainable Resources Center, the Weatherization Assistance Program provider for Hennepin County, and may qualify for free weatherization which includes both air sealing and insulation improvements.
Love these resources!
Home Energy Squad is another free option.
It’s actually only free if you qualify based on income. Otherwise it’s $70-100 depending on the type of visit. Some cities offer reduced pricing programs.
That said, they replaced every single one of our lightbulbs, gave us new weather stripping on all our exterior doors and put an insulated wrap on our water heater.
Well worth the cost.
https://www.mncee.org/home-energy-squad#visit
Glad to hear you like the HES! Yes, the cost is dependent on both income and city. Some cities are partners and give a 50 percent off discount or something.
Who do you work for? This post is obviously an ad.
Home Energy Squad is provided by CenterPoint Energy and Xcel Energy and delivered by the Center for Energy and Environment (CEE) and ICF.
https://homeenergysquadmn.com/ "Free visits available to those who qualify."
KARE11 news story about it.
I follow StructureTech blog and social media, they give great advice (from OP's link)
I'm glad you recommend the blog, I'll take a look at more of their content!
Huh, as a kid I loved this and saw them everywhere in Buffalo, NY. Who knew it was bad.
Honestly, I don't think it's the worst thing ever, besides potentially damaging your roof or being indicative of water damage, but it could fall and hit your dog, your kid, you...
I got an energy audit last year. They recommended reinsulating attic and putting up rafter vents to help with airflow. We went through one of their recommended contractors to do so. This winter so far we’ve still had ice dams all around the house.
Word of caution, be more diligent with the contractor as I worry they didn’t use enough blow in as they probably should have.
No amount of insulation or ventilation will help if the temp quickly drops below freezing while it's raining/snowing. The roof deck will be above freezing, melting the snow. Then when it gets cold enough, it cools down and refreezes into an ice dam. That's what happened earlier this season. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Every house in the city had ice dams 2 weeks ago.
I don’t disagree with you at all, but with this being case we shouldn’t be pitching it as a solution to fix this.
According to the video I linked above, they mentioned this could be an issue. That is why the video also mentions other solutions. Some roofs just don't have enough space to put in enough insulation, especially at the edges. I hope you find a solution for your roof!
Mom drilled it into my head as a kid that you gotta pay attention to houses in winter. If they have icicles, don't bother with them because their insulation is poor & you'll waste money on heating.
Granted, I'll probably never have enough money to buy a house, but at least she prepared me as best she could.
Haha the more I learn about building science in school, the more I am going to be so picky when (if) I ever buy a house. I feel almost too informed...
Awesome resource! Thank you for sharing. Structure Tech is a great outfit, and a good starting point. I think they have some podcasts too!
I just learned about him, I'll have to check out his stuff! I'm always looking for new resources to learn about this kind of stuff (since so many resources and books my school provides are out of date by a million years...)
I did the audit on my 1st ring suburbs 1940s house. Eye opening. Not an ice dam after I did the insulation work. Moved to the burbs and did it all again. It was a 00s house so better insulation, but still imperfect. Significantly better since we insulated identified areas.
So happy I will never roof rake again.
yay! I think knowledge is power and it's amazing how much there is to know about homes (and it depends so much on the age of the home!)
got dam ice!! on my house, in the streets… it’s everywhere!