Ice Dam Removal in Big Lake, MN
Big Lake grew up fast along Highway 10, and a lot of its homes share the same weak spots: split-entries, attached garages and lake homes with rooflines added onto over the years.
Based in ClearwaterAbout 25 minutes from our Clearwater base.
Leak calls firstWater coming in? Calls get scheduled ahead of planned work.
Steam onlyLow pressure. No hammers, chisels, salt or pressure washers.
Hourly, quoted firstYou get the rate and a clear plan before any work starts.
Ice dam removal in Big Lake
When snow sits on a Big Lake roof for weeks, the attic warms it from below and the sun works on it from above. The water runs down to an eave that's still below freezing and stops. That's an ice dam. It grows a little with every melt and refreeze until water backs up under the shingles and shows up on a ceiling.
We take dams off with low-pressure steam. It melts the ice without striking the roof, so the shingles, the drip edge and the gutters come through in one piece. If water is already coming inside, we open drainage channels first to stop it, then finish the job.
Where ice dams start on Big Lake homes
A big share of Big Lake's housing went up in its commuter-growth years, in subdivisions off Highway 10 and the county roads. You see a lot of split-entry and two-story homes with attached two- and three-car garages. A split-entry puts the upper level's ceiling right under the roof with a shallow attic above it. That leaves little room for insulation at the edges, which is where warm air leaks out and the ice builds.
Then there are the homes near the water. Around the lake the town is named for, you'll find older cabins that became year-round houses and newer lake homes. Many have been added onto: a sunroom here, a three-season porch there, a garage tied in with a new roofline. Every one of those joints makes a valley or a low spot where snow drifts and meltwater collects. Wind across the open ice doesn't help. It packs snow deep on the sheltered side of the roof.
Add-on rooms are also where heat is hardest to control. A converted porch or an addition built years after the main house often has different insulation, different ventilation and a lower roof pitch. When we find a dam sitting on one section of a roof and nowhere else, that's usually why.
Signs to check for around Big Lake
- Ice building along the front eave of a split-entry, right above the upper-level living room or bedrooms
- Drifts and icicles where a sunroom, porch or addition ties into the main roof
- Water spots on the ceiling of a converted porch or three-season room
- Gutters on the lake side sagging under ice, or downspouts frozen solid at the bottom
How a visit goes in Big Lake
Call 320-760-7280 and walk us through it. Where's the ice, how tall is the house, is water coming in? For lake homes, let us know if the best ladder spot is on the lake side or off the driveway. Before any work starts, you'll know our hourly rate and exactly what we plan to do. If it's leaking, we steam channels through the dam first to get the water moving. After that we take the dam down to the shingles, clear the gutters and downspouts, and send photos of how we found it and how we left it.
Services in Big Lake
In Big Lake and the lake country around it, we offer these five services:
The same steam process on every Big Lake roof.
Steam melts a path through the ice so trapped water can drain before larger sections come off.
Cut drainage channels
Low-pressure steam opens channels through the dam, giving trapped water a path to drain.
Clear the roof edge
With a drainage path open, steam separates ice along the roofline without chopping at shingles.
Clear gutters and downspouts
Packed gutters and downspouts come out last, so the water has somewhere to go.
Big Lake ice dam FAQ
Don't see your question? Call 320-760-7280 and describe what you're seeing.
When should I call about an ice dam in Big Lake?
Call when you first see a thick ridge of ice at the gutters or big icicles, not after the ceiling stains show up. The best window is before a warm stretch in the forecast. Leak calls are scheduled first, and we do same-day when we can.
Our lake place is empty most weeks. Can you do the work while we're away?
Yes. You don't need to be there for the outside work. Tell us how to get to the roof and we'll send before-and-after photos so you can see what we did. If anything looks like it may have leaked inside, we'll tell you.
Why does only our addition get ice dams?
Additions and converted porches often have a lower pitch, thinner insulation or poorer ventilation than the main house, and snow drifts where the two roofs meet. We'll steam the dam off and point out what's likely causing it so you can deal with it in spring.
Will steam hurt our older shingles?
No. Low-pressure steam melts the ice without striking or scraping the roof. That matters even more on older shingles, which are brittle when frozen and crack easily under a hammer or chisel.
Towns near Big Lake we also serve.
Get ahead of roof ice.
Schedule ice dam removal, or call now if water is coming into your home. Don't climb onto an icy roof. Keep clear of falling ice and let a pro take it from here.