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Source of the water

Nationwide

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in the United States

Our response team addresses water entering beneath roof materials, then dries attic insulation, framing, walls, and ceilings affected by the leak.

  • Flood-response calls answered 24/7
  • Residential and commercial response
  • Extraction, cleanup, and moisture control
  • One response team from assessment to dry standard

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Signs to look for

When to call us for ice dam leak cleanup

If you notice any of these problems, call us before water has more time to spread into nearby materials.

A ridge of ice sits along the eave above the gutter

To keep the work on track, that ridge is the dam itself, and meltwater is pooling behind it. Photograph it from the ground now, because it is the proof of cause and it disappears with the weather.

Thick icicles are hanging from the gutter line

As our response moves forward, icicles mean water is running down a warm roof and freezing at a cold edge. They are the visible symptom of the exact process that causes the leak.

A wet or stained line where the ceiling meets an exterior wall

As our response moves forward, ice dam water enters over the top plate and drops into the corner. That ceiling perimeter stain is the single most common ice dam symptom.

Water is running out of the top of a window or a door

As our response moves forward, the wall cavity carries the water down to the first thing that blocks it, which is a window head.

It leaks on a sunny day, not during the storm

To control the loss, the snow needs to melt before there is any water to leak. A leak that starts when the sun comes out after a snowfall is diagnostic.

The roof field is clear of snow but the edge is iced

For a decisive response, heat escaping into the attic melts snow over the heated part of the house. The edge overhangs unheated space, so the water refreezes there.

What happens

How we handle ice dam leak cleanup

Our response team adjusts the work to where water traveled, how far the water traveled, and which materials can be saved.

Safety overhead before anything else

To control the loss, wet ceiling boxes and can lights mean the circuit gets shut off from a dry location. Nobody stands under a sagging area, and removals overhead are a crew task.

Stopping the meltwater at the dam

For a decisive response, steam removal is the correct method, and we coordinate a crew that has the equipment. Low pressure steam melts a channel through the ice without stripping the shingles.

Reading the ceiling perimeter and the top of the wall

To control the loss, a moisture meter runs the full length of every exterior wall in the affected room, not just the stained part.

Wall cavity access where the water came down

As our response moves forward, baseboard or window casing comes off and small access holes let us read and dry inside the cavity.

Wet insulation at the eave removed and bagged

As our response moves forward, compacted or soaked material at the perimeter comes out in place and gets replaced with a measured R value.

Drying an assembly that is cold on one side

To control the loss, the house stays heated, the wet cavity gets contained, and air movers work into the openings with an Professional dehumidifier on the room.

Reach our response team

Active water loss in the United States?

Report where it began, whether the source is controlled, and every space the water reached.

Call (833) 868-0788

What to expect

What to expect from our response team

Here is how we usually handle ice dam leak cleanup near the United States.

  1. 1

    You call and we ask what the roof edge looks like

    As our response moves forward, ice ridge, icicles, snow depth and which side of the house it is on. Those four answers report whether steam removal comes on the first trip.

    Your call
  2. 2

    Photograph the ice, then clear the room

    For a decisive response, take pictures of the eave from the ground while the ice is still there. Move what you can lift from a dry floor and stay out from under any sag.

    +5 minutes
  3. 3

    A crew is dispatched for cold weather work

    To keep the work on track, sealed work area, drying equipment and the steam contact get lined up together. Winter calls come in clusters during a thaw, so we sequence by severity.

    +15 minutes
  4. 4

    Exterior and interior documented before the response begins

    We record the dam, the icicles, the gutter condition and every interior stain with dates. This is a weather loss, and the weather is the evidence.

    On arrival
  5. 5

    The meltwater gets stopped at the eave

    For a decisive response, steam opens channels through the dam so water drains off the roof instead of backing up under the shingles.

    First hours on site
  6. 6

    The perimeter gets mapped, wall by wall

    As our response moves forward, readings run the full exterior wall length, the ceiling perimeter and both sides of every window head. We tape the wet edge so you can see the real footprint.

    First hours on site
  7. 7

    Swollen casing off, wet blown in material out at the eave

    To keep the work on track, swollen window casing, failed board and soaked blown in insulation at the eave are removed and logged. Perimeter gypsum that only met clean meltwater stays where it is and gets dried.

    Day 1

Understanding the cost

What can affect the price

We outline the restoration action plan and price before you approve the job. These examples show what may change the estimate.

Common situationWhat the estimate may includeTypical range
Steam ice dam removal at the eave, by a specialty crewTo keep the work on track, national estimate. Commonly billed hourly at roughly $250 to $500 per hour, normally one to three hours, with a minimum charge.$400 to $1,500
Interior cleanup after one ice dam leak, one room dried in placeFor a decisive response, national estimate for perimeter ceiling and wall drying with trim removal, no demolition.$600 to $2,000
Several eaves leaking, multiple rooms with removal and dryingTo keep the work on track, national estimate including wet insulation removal, drywall sections and five to seven drying days.$3,000 to $9,000
Wet attic or perimeter insulation removal and disposal, per square footTo keep the work on track, national estimate for extraction, bagging and disposal of soaked material.$1.00 to $2.50
Perimeter drywall removal with cavity drying, per square footTo keep the work on track, national estimate for removal, disposal and drying of the opened assembly.$1.50 to $4.00
Attic air sealing and insulation top up, by an insulation contractorAs our response moves forward, national estimate for sealing attic bypasses and bringing depth back to code. This is the fix, not the cleanup.$1,200 to $4,000
Heat cable installed at the eave and in the gutter, by a contractorFor a decisive response, national estimate for a separate trade, not part of our cleanup work plan. It manages symptoms on a problem eave and adds a power bill each winter.$600 to $2,500
After hours or overnight dispatch chargeTo control the loss, national estimate for nights, weekends and holidays, billed once rather than per hour.$100 to $400 nationally
  • How many eaves are leaking
    To control the loss, one dam over one room is a contained job. Three sides of a house during a long thaw is three separate impacted spaces.

  • How far the water ran along the wall
    To control the loss, water spreads sideways on the top plate before it drops. A four foot stain often means fifteen feet of wet cavity.

  • Whether the ice has to be removed first
    For a decisive response, steam removal is its own contractor visit and is usually billed hourly. It is not optional while water is still backing up.

  • How much ceiling, wall and trim has to come out
    As our response moves forward, board that can be dried in place costs a fraction of what removal and rebuild cost. Delaminated board, wet insulation and swollen casing move it into removal work.

  • Insulation type and depth at the perimeter
    To keep the work on track, blown in material at the eave has to be extracted rather than lifted out. Replacement is measured by area and by the R value going back.

  • Cold weather drying days
    As our response moves forward, air movers run roughly $25 to $40 per unit per day and Professional dehumidifiers roughly $70 to $110 per unit per day.

Why timing matters

What can happen when the area stays wet

Water can keep moving into nearby materials even when the surface looks dry.

The dam rebuilds every night it refreezes

As our response moves forward, one warm afternoon and one cold night is all it takes to make more ice. Each cycle raises the dam and pushes water further under the shingles.

This water is above the line the roof was designed for

To control the loss, shingles shed running water, they do not hold standing water. Behind a dam the water sits above every lap and drip edge and simply walks in.

Wet insulation makes the next dam worse

For a decisive response, soaked material at the eave stops insulating, so more heat reaches the roof deck and more snow melts.

Cold cavities hold water for weeks on their own

To control the loss, framing at 35 degrees releases moisture very slowly. What looks dry at the surface in March is still wet inside the wall.

Helpful service information

What to know about ice dam leak cleanup

Act first by the short explanation. Open a card if you want a little more detail.

What is happening inside the property

As our response moves forward, heat leaking from the house warms the roof deck over the living space.

Read the explanation

To keep the work on track, the physics here are simple and they explain everything about where the water shows up. Heat leaking from the house warms the roof deck over the living space.

How the next step is decided

To control the loss, ice dams form where heat loss is concentrated, so they come back in the same place until that path is closed.

Read the explanation

For a decisive response, recurrence is the part that matters for your money. Ice dams form where heat loss is concentrated, so they come back in the same place until that path is closed.

What may change the work

For a decisive response, it enters over the top plate at the outside wall, so the first wet materials are the ceiling perimeter and the top of the wall cavity.

Read the explanation

To control the loss, inside the building, ice dam water behaves unlike any other leak we handle. It enters over the top plate at the outside wall, so the first wet materials are the ceiling perimeter and the top of the wall cavity.

Help near you

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup near the United States

Match your needs to your area below, or call (833) 868-0788 and describe where the loss began.

Available in Alabama

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Alabama

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Available in Alaska

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Alaska

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Available in American Samoa

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in American Samoa

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Available in Arizona

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Arizona

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Available in Arkansas

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Arkansas

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Available in California

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in California

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Available in Colorado

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Colorado

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Available in Connecticut

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Connecticut

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Available in Delaware

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Delaware

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Available in District of Columbia

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in District of Columbia

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Available in Florida

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Florida

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Available in Georgia

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Georgia

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Available in Guam

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Guam

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Available in Hawaii

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Hawaii

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Available in Idaho

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Idaho

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Available in Illinois

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Illinois

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Available in Indiana

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Indiana

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Available in Iowa

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Iowa

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Available in Kansas

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Kansas

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Available in Kentucky

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Kentucky

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Available in Louisiana

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Louisiana

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Available in Maine

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Maine

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Available in Maryland

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Maryland

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Available in Massachusetts

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Massachusetts

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Available in Michigan

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Michigan

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Available in Minnesota

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Minnesota

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Available in Mississippi

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Mississippi

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Available in Missouri

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Missouri

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Available in Montana

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Montana

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Available in Nebraska

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Nebraska

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Available in Nevada

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Nevada

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Available in New Hampshire

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in New Hampshire

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Available in New Jersey

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in New Jersey

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Available in New Mexico

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in New Mexico

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Available in New York

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in New York

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Available in North Carolina

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in North Carolina

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Available in North Dakota

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in North Dakota

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Available in Northern Mariana Islands

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Northern Mariana Islands

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Available in Ohio

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Ohio

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Available in Oklahoma

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Oklahoma

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Available in Oregon

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Oregon

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Available in Pennsylvania

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Pennsylvania

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Available in Puerto Rico

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Puerto Rico

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Available in Rhode Island

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Rhode Island

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Available in South Carolina

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in South Carolina

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Available in South Dakota

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in South Dakota

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Available in Tennessee

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Tennessee

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Available in Texas

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Texas

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Available in U.S. Virgin Islands

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in U.S. Virgin Islands

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Available in Utah

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Utah

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Available in Vermont

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Vermont

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Available in Virginia

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Virginia

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Available in Washington

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Washington

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Available in West Virginia

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in West Virginia

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Available in Wisconsin

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Wisconsin

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Available in Wyoming

Ice Dam Leak Cleanup in Wyoming

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Common questions

Questions about ice dam leak cleanup

What is an ice dam and why does it leak?

For a decisive response, heat escaping into your attic melts snow on the upper roof. That water runs down and refreezes at the cold overhang, building a ridge of ice.

How much does ice dam leak cleanup cost?

To control the loss, nationally, one room dried in place usually runs about $600 to $2,000. Several leaking eaves with removal normally run $3,000 to $9,000.

Does insurance cover ice dam damage?

To keep the work on track, usually yes for the interior damage, because it is treated as sudden weather damage. Many carriers also reimburse ice removal as mitigation.

Can I chip the ice off myself?

To keep the work on track, no. Do not chip, hammer, chisel or pressure wash ice on a roof, and do not put a ladder against an icy building.

Should I use a roof rake or salt?

For a decisive response, a roof rake used from the ground is reasonable for pulling snow off the lower roof. Keep it away from overhead power lines and stand clear of what comes down.

How is the ice actually removed?

To control the loss, low pressure steam is the correct method and it is what the specialty crews use. It melts channels through the dam without damaging shingles.

Why is the water coming out over my window?

As our response moves forward, the water enters over the top plate and drops into the wall cavity. It runs down the framing until something blocks it, and a window head is the first thing that does.

Reach our response team

Active water loss in the United States?

Report where it began, whether the source is controlled, and every space the water reached.

Call (833) 868-0788

Areas we serve

Water-damage help across the United States

Match your needs to your state to get water-extraction, cleanup, and drying support in your area.

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Call (833) 868-0788