Portfolio News Contact Us Chat

Kelowna • Okanagan • Ice Damming ICE
DAMMING.

Water held behind an ice ridge does not sit still. It works under the shingles, into the decking and down into the insulation. By the time the stain shows on your ceiling, it has been in the structure for a while.

Request a Free Estimate See Our Approach
4.8 on Google120+ reviews
Interior
Ice dams wreck ceilings and walls, not just roofs
Heat loss
An ice dam is a heat problem before a roof problem
Ventilation
The first fix, and usually the whole one
The Problem

The Okanagan Freeze-Thaw Cycle Is Brutal.

Warm air from your living space rises into the attic and heats the roof deck. Snow on the warm section melts, runs down to the cold eave overhang, and refreezes — forming a dam. Water pools behind the dam and has nowhere to go but under your shingles.

Once water is under the roofing, it soaks into the decking, drips onto insulation, and runs along framing members into your walls and ceilings. Mould grows. Wood rots. And the cycle repeats with every freeze-thaw — which in the Okanagan means again and again each winter.

Anatomy

Warm attic. Cold eave.

That difference is the whole problem. Heat escaping into the attic melts snow on the upper roof; the meltwater runs down to an overhang with no heat under it, refreezes, and builds a ridge. Water then backs up behind that ridge and goes under the shingles — which is where the ceiling stain comes from.

Heat is getting into the attic. Here the soffit intake is buried in insulation, so the ridge vent has nothing to pull — the deck warms, snow melts, and the water refreezes at the cold overhang. Air in at the soffits, out at the ridge. The deck stays cold, so snow stays snow and the gutter stays empty. That bare strip along the ridge is the vent doing its job — it is what a working roof looks like in winter.
Our Approach

The Ice Dam Defence System

First

Ventilation

Usually the whole fix.

An ice dam is a heat-loss problem before it is a roof problem. Get cold air in at the soffits and warm air out at the ridge and the deck stays at outside temperature — so far less melts, and far less refreezes at the eave. Most of the roofs we look at are short on intake, not exhaust. How we size it →

When that is not enough

Heat Trace

For roofs that cannot be made cold.

Sometimes the icing is severe enough, or the geometry difficult enough, that ventilation alone will not clear it — a cathedral ceiling with no attic to vent, a north valley that never sees sun, a dormer that traps drifting snow. Self-regulating cable keeps a drainage path open so meltwater has somewhere to go. How it works →

Right now

Ice Removal

Relief, not a repair.

When a dam is already pushing water back under the shingles, it has to come off before anything else gets discussed, and people do call us to do exactly that. It buys you time. It does not change the heat loss that built the dam, so it will build again after the next storm — which is why we would rather come back once and fix the cause than clear the same eave every January. Leave it to a roofer: a hammer or a spade takes the shingles up with the ice, and salt eats the flashing and the gutters.

Handled at the same time

Ice & Water Shield

Self-adhering membrane at the eaves, valleys, penetrations and wall transitions. It will not stop a dam forming — it is there for the water that backs up behind one.

Drip Edge & Flashing

Metal detailed so meltwater leaves the roof instead of creeping back underneath the shingle course.

Insulation Gaps

Ventilation only works if the heat stays downstairs. Bath fans venting into the attic, open top plates and thin spots over the ceiling are the first things we look for. Small insulation fixes we can make while the roof is open; a full insulation job from inside the house goes to an insulation contractor.

Related
Common Questions

Got Questions?

Look for water stains on ceilings near exterior walls, peeling paint, damp spots in the attic, or icicles hanging from your eaves. If you see ice ridges forming at the edge of your roof during winter, damage may already be occurring. Our free inspection can confirm it. Where moisture is suspected, a thermal scan can be added — it is quoted separately.
Yes, and it is a common call in a cold January. If water is already coming inside, getting the ice off is the first thing that happens. Be aware of what it is, though: clearing a dam is temporary relief, not a repair. The heat loss that built it is still there, so it will build again after the next storm. Most people have us clear it, then look at ventilation once the roof is walkable again. What we would ask is that you do not go at it yourself — a hammer or a spade lifts the shingles along with the ice, and salt corrodes flashing and gutters.
Usually, yes — provided the root cause is dealt with rather than the ice. Our system corrects ventilation deficiencies, adds ice and water membrane at the eaves when the roof is redone, and optionally integrates heat trace for severe cases. Once the heat-loss pattern on your roof is corrected, the dams usually stop forming.
Insulation alone rarely solves ice dams. While it helps reduce heat transfer, without proper ventilation the heat still accumulates in your attic. You need balanced airflow to carry that heat out. We assess both insulation and ventilation together for a complete solution.
The best time is before winter — ideally late summer or early fall. However, some of this work can be done in winter, and we will tell you what can go ahead now and what should wait. If you’re currently experiencing ice dam damage, call us: we stop the water first, then fix the cause.
Take Action

Winter Doesn’t Wait. Neither Should You.

We’ll inspect your roof, work out where the heat is getting in, and tell you what we would do about it. The inspection and quote are free.

Request a Free Estimate
4.8 on Google120+ reviews

No obligation • Photo-documented • Water stopped first