Ice Dams and Winter Leaks in Warren, NJ

What the contractor can look at

Call (908) 827-6709 and describe where the ice builds and where water appears indoors; a visit can follow.

• The attic floor can be checked for air leaks at hatches, light fixtures and chimney chases, which University of Minnesota Extension names as often the main heat source.
• Insulation depth and the vents at the eaves and ridge can be looked at.
• The eaves can be examined for water damage to shingles, boards and soffits.
• The contractor can say whether an eave membrane is part of the roof and what adding one would involve.
• The written scope can separate this season's stopgap from longer-term work done in warmer weather.

Looks from the ground

Stick to what the lawn, an upstairs window or the attic hatch shows. A ladder, or a walk over the shingles, is a roofer's job.

• From the ground, look along the lowest edge for a ridge of ice and for icicles that are thick rather than thin. Note which side of the house they cling to.
• Look at the soffit, the wall under the eave and the ceilings along outside walls for brown stains or peeling paint.
• Peek into the attic from the top of the ladder in daylight, looking for frost on the roof boards, gaps around the hatch and bare patches in the insulation.
• Photograph the ice, the stains and the date. A before-and-after set helps in a later talk with a roofer or an insurer.

Questions to put to a roofer

Questions that tell a cure from a cover-up

Ask whether the plan reduces the heat reaching the roof or only treats the ice that is already there. Ask who will seal the air leaks in the attic, and whether that is in the quote.

Ask which parts of the work wait for dry weather, and what holds in the meantime. Ask for the answers in writing, with the dates for the stopgap and the dates for the rest.

Parts of the roof involved

Warm above, cold at the edge, and what runs between

Think of a cold drink on a warm table: the glass sweats where the two meet. A roof does something close. Heat from the rooms below climbs into the attic and warms the boards, and snow on the warm part melts. The water runs downhill until it reaches the overhang, which has no heat under it, and freezes.

The ridge grows with each cycle and backs the next melt up under the shingles. That is why Extension starts with air sealing and insulation, and why the Department of Energy describes a self-sealing membrane laid at the eaves as a second line of defense.

Paperwork, briefly

Winter work and the dates in a written contract

A winter job is the kind where weather moves the calendar. The state's home improvement contract rule asks for start and finish dates in the written contract, and for any change to be put in writing too. The hiring checklist goes through the rest.