OK, what you have going on is known as an ice dam. A very common thing in the Northeast, especially in years where there is early snow when the sun is so low in the horizon, and the temps are very cold as they have been recently. The popular long range fix is roof work and added insulation, etc, but you can make a big difference right away by getting a roof rake and removing the snow after every snow fall. Get a roof rake with a lot of extensions and you will be able to reach a roof above a two-story-with-full-attic building. The good news is that you don't have to rake the entire roof, just the sections where you are getting ice dams. When using the rake be VERY CAREFUL around overhead electrical lines. It takes a bit of practice to get used using the roof rake, and for years I left it up to husband. Last winter he was unable to do so I tried it on my own and though it took some effort, it is do-able, even by a very middle-aged woman. It especially helps if there are adjacent roofs (wings, additions) you can perch on while raking so you're not working at such a high angle. I don't do it from a ladder, though, even though I am quite at home on them. I'm either standing on the ground or another roof. Now about ice dams: first of all be aware that there are two things called ice dams. One type is the little metal brackets that people install on the roof to keep masses of snow from falling as a thunderous sheet over doorways. That's not what were talking about here. For this discussion an ice dam is a place where you have melted snow that freezes on the roof which eventually builds up and blocks the downward flow of other melting snow. This backs the water up under your shingles allowing it to run down the exterior sheathing or interior walls and ceilings, sometimes for great, perplexing, distances. The most commonly cited cause of the ice dams are houses without sufficient insulation to keep the heat from rising through the exterior walls to the roof, melting the bottom layer of snow, which then refreezes when we have really cold periods, crating the ice dam. The conventional cure involves added insulation, blocking intra-wall air-channels, sometimes removing and relaying roofing with Grace water shield underneath it, etc. Unless you actually have a frank hole in your roof, with uncontrollable cascades of leaking in, I would try to put all that off for now. (Though you will have tons of contractors scaring the pants off you if you call them out to look at it.) Let me tell you about my experiences with ice dams. I live in the NE in a very old house with no insulation in the walls. And none to very little in the attic. Some years we have had ice dams, but none since we started removing the snow from the roof after every storm in the early season. (By March it becomes less urgent because there is more sun to melt all the snow off promptly, but right now it's a problem.) One thing I have noted about these old houses is that when they were built they didn't seem to have such a big problem with ice dams (and certainly no lightweight plastic or aluminum roof rakes to attack it with). It stands to reason that they would have altered or modified building techniques if ice dams were such a persistent problem as they are today. I think it is related to how we heat our homes, particularly because we now heat with radiators along the outside walls, warming that air column straight up to the eaves where ice dams start. And we keep our houses much warmer than what was expected before. So in some ways, I think we have created a problem where there wasn't one to begin with. However, the customarily recommended long term cure is to fill the wall cavities with insulation blocking the rise of heat along the eave walls. (Though adding insulation has its own, different, issues.) In addition one can remove and relay the roof shingles over a good water shield. One can use electric ice melting cables along the eaves. (I am wary of these as there have been some reports of fires connected to their use.) Or one can rake, which is what I do. Plus I maintain a careful watch on any spot where I have ever experienced any leaking and am prepared to interupt, dry or, just collect any flowing water. Since you now own an older house, you may feel overwhelmed with the new things you will need to learn about the care of it. The good news is that many, if not most, issues respond to lower-tech solutions. But it does take some time and effort to get in the old-house groove, which is very different from newer houses and much conventional wisdom is dead wrong when applied to older houses. The problem, at first, is figuring out which is which. But you have arrived, by chance, at a good resource. I'll attach a link to another excellent forum below. I have often thought it would be a wonderful invention if one could figure out how to apply a pnneumatic de-icing boot to the roof similar to what is used on the wings of aircraft. Have the right conditions, then press the switch, and the boot inflates and all the ice is just popped off, autom atically. (The good thing is that when raking the roof, you will get very warm from the effort, and it certainly qualifies for your daily stint of aerobic conditioning.) Molly~ Here is a link that might be useful: Old house web discussion forum

Shingle choice is easy. Choose a blended color and choose an architectural shingle. A strip shingle, or 3 tab will cost a few pennies less and look a few dollars short on appearance. Ventilation. That's more of a critical decision. Ventilation to roofing is what primer is to painting. And y'all know how I feel about primer. :) Ventilation is what prolongs the life of your roofing shingles and cools the attic in summer to prevent a hot ceiling and most important of all, vents out the warm humid air in winter which causes the most damage. Ridge vent has proven time and time again to be the most effective roof ventilation available. Of course no ventilation is adequate without soffit intake. Air Vent Shingle Vent II has a very informative website. Study it before choosing an alternate vent source. Power Roof vents are sometimes used when the ridge doesn't provide at least 10 feet of ridge ventilation. That is the minimum required for adequate ridge exhaust. A power roof vent also requires adequate intake at the soffits to provide upflow to the fan exhaust area. Without soffit venting, the Power Roof Vent will remove heated or cooled air from the living area. Not a good energy conservation affect there. Gable End vents are a thing of the past. Most gable vents on newer homes are blanks, used for decor only. Gable end vents mostly transfer the hot air from side to side of the roof, leaving the hot and moist air at the ceiling area, causing damage in the long run. If you have open gable vents, they must be closed off from inside when installing soffit and ridge vent systems. Turbine vents, whirly birds are for barns. :) They are very ineffective when used to vent a lived in space that produces moisture and heat. Soffit vents are the best way to provide intake for all vents. If soffit vents are not possible or practical, then Drip Edge vent is the solution. Intake vents should provide airflow up the entire roof deck (bathe it with fresh air)and then escape at the exhaust ridge or Power Vent. http://www.airvent.com/homeowner/products/intake-ventedDE.shtml Static Roof vents or pots are obsolete. Tear off or re-roof. If you can afford a tear-off, it's the way to go. Uncovering the deck for inspection and replacement of bad sheets is always a good thing. Use OSB (Oriented Strand Board)when replacing roof decking. It's stronger than plywood. When uncovered, you'll be able to install Ice and Water Shield to the eave edges, valleys, chimney protrusions, vent pipe protrusions, etc. Ice & Water Shield also prevents leaks caused by ice and water backup. Back up will be minimal with a properly vented roof, however it does happen in the winters up north, even when vented properly. If I can help you more, please ask. Michael Here is a link that might be useful: Shingle Vent II

Scott, what if the temp outside is 40 degrees and she wants the spa to reach 100 degrees? My understanding from my PB is that the heat pump only increases your temp relative to the outside temp (maybe 40degrees more). now she is stuck at 80 degree. I am getting a gas heater because I want to get in the hot tub in the cold winter nights and relax. If it is 40 degree outside, I don't want that tub to be below my body temp because I will feel cold. I want it 100 degrees and I know a gas heater can do that. What I think watermom wants to do is extend her swim season in Connecticut where the swim season is relatively short. that would be pretty expensive using a gas heater although it can do it easily and quickly. I am thinking about getting both since I want to extend my swim season in April and October but want the advantage of a hot tub in the winter. Is that overkill? I am holding off on the heatpump until after our first swim season to see how much we want to use the pool during these two months. Have you or any of the other pool builders done pools with both? would you recommend this or is it a waste of money? Watermom, I live in North Carolina. The gas heater is for both my spa and pool. this is my first pool so I am learning just like you are. I plan on using my gas heater for times we want to swim and if I find we are using it more than 1-2 times a month for the pool, than I will add the heatpump. my set up is ready for the heatpump to be added.

energy rater, How would I go about getting an infrared scan? I drove up and down our street today, and didn't see any other roofs that looked like mine. I looked only at houses on my side of the street - those on the other side are bare, as is the back of my house. Some on my side are bare, some have almost a complete layer of snow. I am sure that I have what should be the most energy efficient roof insulation. Most houses in our neighborhood date from the 20's or 30's. I imagine that most of them have little insulation. worthy, Thank you for the reference. I read the document, and I've read others from that site. I should have everything they recommend, except for the ice/water shield. We have the original slate roof, which is 80-90 years old. We don't know the exact age of the house, but there is a 1929 building permit for adding a garage. I have the roof checked every year or so, and so far I've been told that it is still fine. Once in a while a slate has to be replaced. I know that there are some unavoidable insulation defects. The insulation is between the wood rafters, with the sheetrock attached to the rafters. So heat must be escaping through the wood (8" thick, I believe). And there is at least one A/C duct going across the ceiling in a bay, but I thought there was at least enough room for the 3" of closed-cell foam above it. Thank you for all the suggestions. The ice dam is worse today. It's hanging down over the windows: