I live in the NE and own a Dutch Colonial Style house. These houses
have a gambrel-style roof on top, and small secondary roofs that jut
out perhaps two or three feet and are located between the first and
second floors. Rain water runs off the top roof (no gutters) and
strikes the secondary roof, which is guttered. I have addressed ice
dam issues eariler this winter, where a huge slog of ice covered the
secondary roof and the gutters
In one location the house juts out under the secondary roof and
contains a window seat. At this point the soffit is very short or
almost non existent which compounds ice dam issues. A persistent leak
has occurred over the window seat.
We had a thaw, the gutters were unclogged and the ice dam was
thoroughly removed. The roof over the window seat was free of all
snow, although melting snow from the main roof was still dripping
water on the secondary roof. Then a sudden hard freeze. The SR became
coated with a sheet of ice and the leak resumed.
Where is the water entering now? There is no more huge ice dam and
the gutters are free, although there is ice along the bottom edge of
the bottom row of shingles. Maybe this acts exactly like what happened
earlier with the heavy ice and iced-over gutter, but it looks so much
less likely.
I note that there isn 't much of a drip edge there, if any. Would
a long drip edge have prevented this, or could water likely be backing
up anywhere within the icy area covering the shingles? I bought some
heat cable but wasn't sure this would do much for an icing situation.
Advice much appreciated! (Apologies for not using a lot of the
correct terminology!)
Frank

On Wed, 09 Feb 2011 18:12:36 -0500, frank1492
wrote:

I live in the NE and own a Dutch Colonial Style house. These houses
have a gambrel-style roof on top, and small secondary roofs that jut
out perhaps two or three feet and are located between the first and
second floors. Rain water runs off the top roof (no gutters) and
strikes the secondary roof, which is guttered. I have addressed ice
dam issues eariler this winter, where a huge slog of ice covered the
secondary roof and the gutters
In one location the house juts out under the secondary roof and
contains a window seat. At this point the soffit is very short or
almost non existent which compounds ice dam issues. A persistent leak
has occurred over the window seat.
We had a thaw, the gutters were unclogged and the ice dam was
thoroughly removed. The roof over the window seat was free of all
snow, although melting snow from the main roof was still dripping
water on the secondary roof. Then a sudden hard freeze. The SR became
coated with a sheet of ice and the leak resumed.
Where is the water entering now? There is no more huge ice dam and
the gutters are free, although there is ice along the bottom edge of
the bottom row of shingles. Maybe this acts exactly like what happened
earlier with the heavy ice and iced-over gutter, but it looks so much
less likely.
I note that there isn 't much of a drip edge there, if any. Would
a long drip edge have prevented this, or could water likely be backing
up anywhere within the icy area covering the shingles? I bought some
heat cable but wasn't sure this would do much for an icing situation.
Advice much appreciated! (Apologies for not using a lot of the
correct terminology!)
Frank


I can't give you advice, but I will say water has a funny way of
traveling - causing leaks. Sometimes the source of water is not where
you expected.

On Feb 9, 6:12*pm, frank1492 wrote:
I live in the NE and own a Dutch Colonial Style house. These houses
have a gambrel-style roof on top, and small secondary roofs that jut
out perhaps two or three feet and are located between the first and
second floors. Rain water runs off the top roof (no gutters) and
strikes the secondary roof, which is guttered. I have addressed ice
dam issues eariler this winter, where a huge slog of ice covered the
secondary roof and the gutters
* * *In one location the house juts out under the secondary roof and
contains a window seat. At this point the soffit is very short or
almost non existent which compounds ice dam issues. A persistent leak
has occurred over the window seat.
* * We had a thaw, the gutters were unclogged and the ice dam was
thoroughly removed. The roof over the window seat was free of all
snow, although melting snow from the main roof was still dripping
water on the secondary roof. Then a sudden hard freeze. The SR became
coated with a sheet of ice and the leak resumed.
* * Where is the water entering now? There is no more huge ice dam and
the gutters are free, although there is ice along the bottom edge of
the bottom row of shingles. Maybe this acts exactly like what happened
earlier with the heavy ice and iced-over gutter, but it looks so much
less likely.
* * *I note that there isn 't much of a drip edge there, if any. Would
a long drip edge have prevented this, or could water likely be backing
up anywhere within the icy area covering the shingles? I bought some
heat cable but wasn't sure this would do much for an icing situation.
* * Advice much appreciated! (Apologies for not using a lot of the
correct terminology!)
* * Frank

MUST HAVE DRIP EDGE.

if your putting on a new roof its best to use that membrame material
rather felt paper.

then add heat tape and while you at it hows the attic ventilation?
thats a major cause of ice dams.......

On Feb 9, 5:12*pm, frank1492 wrote:
I live in the NE and own a Dutch Colonial Style house. These houses
have a gambrel-style roof on top, and small secondary roofs that jut
out perhaps two or three feet and are located between the first and
second floors. Rain water runs off the top roof (no gutters) and
strikes the secondary roof, which is guttered. I have addressed ice
dam issues eariler this winter, where a huge slog of ice covered the
secondary roof and the gutters
* * *In one location the house juts out under the secondary roof and
contains a window seat. At this point the soffit is very short or
almost non existent which compounds ice dam issues. A persistent leak
has occurred over the window seat.
* * We had a thaw, the gutters were unclogged and the ice dam was
thoroughly removed. The roof over the window seat was free of all
snow, although melting snow from the main roof was still dripping
water on the secondary roof. Then a sudden hard freeze. The SR became
coated with a sheet of ice and the leak resumed.
* * Where is the water entering now? There is no more huge ice dam and
the gutters are free, although there is ice along the bottom edge of
the bottom row of shingles. Maybe this acts exactly like what happened
earlier with the heavy ice and iced-over gutter, but it looks so much
less likely.
* * *I note that there isn 't much of a drip edge there, if any. Would
a long drip edge have prevented this, or could water likely be backing
up anywhere within the icy area covering the shingles? I bought some
heat cable but wasn't sure this would do much for an icing situation.
* * Advice much appreciated! (Apologies for not using a lot of the
correct terminology!)
* * Frank

Might be the result of a reroofing by an inexperienced contractor. A
gambrel roof done over like a standard sloped roof just doesn't work.
The Grace underlayment ice dam materials and others will have
installation recommendations which will help you when you have done
over correctly next summer.

Joe