Very Important About Ice Dam and Insurance

Unfortunately, most insurance companies will only cover any interior damage to the inside of the home and not to the roof or gutters. Also, VERY IMPORTANT, insist to your insurance company that the wet insulation be removed and replaced or thoroughly dried because no insurance company will cover the removal of black mold if it develops. Black mold feeds on moisture and it's the sole responsibilty of the homeowner to keep the house dry!

 

I was a little worried about the ice dam that had accumulated on the roof above the garage. Our gutter was solid ice.

Went to home depot and bought a heater strip that is designed for gutters. It cost $60 and consumes about 400 watts. Long enough to have at least 3 runs on top of the ice (2 car garage). Designed to be installed with clips but don't know if I'll get to that any time soon. Hopefully this winter was a fluke...

Installed Thursday night, and by mid Friday it had half melted through the ice and with a bit of chipping away at the ice in the gutter I had it clear for what was melting, including what was feeding down from the main roof.

From what I've read (in Holmes on Homes) having a downspout dump on the garage roof to hit another gutter system is not the best solution and I will likely modify that.

Considering wrapping a second one around the sump where it comes out of the house.