This continues to be a terrible year for ice dams. You are absolutely right that the longer the dams remain, the more water can enter the walls and the more damage is likely. Getting rid of the snow and not the ice would help some, but as the sun continues to increase its angle, you'll continue to get water behind the dams which will run wherever it's running now. Steam melting is a very good option. It has far less damage potential for the shingles than chipping off the ice. Once the dams are melted, you need to get the remaining snow off the roof or the dams will reform. There are little packets of chemical melter made to be tossed up onto the dams. Theoretically, they should work but they are slow and will not be effective in deep cold or on very thick and wide dams. If you can find someone to steam and remove the snow, grab them Whatever the cost it will be less than replacing insulation, sheetrock and whatever else may be damaged.

Coffeemama - I’m not sure you understand the reason for the ice dams. We had ice dams this year as well with water damage too. Even with freezing temperatures, if the insulation under your roof is not adequate, the heat is escaping through the roof and melting the snow.

We had a hard time finding a contractor. I had a list of 10 from Angie’s List and went down the list. Had a couple of tentative promises to come and then no shows. We finally got an appointment for 5 days after the initial water started leaking. While we were waiting for them to come, I just couldn’t watch water keep coming into the house, so we called a local hardware store where we had received reliable advice in the past. They advised us to try to rake some of the snow off that we could reach without getting on the roof. And to buy pantyhose and calcium chloride and fill the stockings with that and place along the gutters on the ice. We called a family member to come and help, who advised that we get a ladder ‘stabilizer’ to add safety to putting the ladder against the house. They were able to get up to the gutters and using a roof rake pull off some of the snow they could reach and place the calcium filled stockings. This stopped the water from coming in and it stayed that way until the roofers came and got up on the roof and took all the snow off and knocked back some of the ice on the gutters.

This was on the back of our cape that has a dormer on the back, so the roof is two stories high. In the front where the roofline is only one story high, my DH and son spent 5 hours pouring hot water on all the ice along the gutters in the front. It is a two person job, one person on the ladder, one ferrying the hot water pitchers back and forth. It did work though. Completely cleared the gutter in the front of ice. We could have done the same thing in the back, which is what we would have done if the calcium filled stockings had not done the trick.

We've had to stay on top of it and keep getting the snow off the roof and take care of too much ice on the gutters.

If I were you, I would call my home insurance policy holder and ask them to advise. They certainly don’t want you to continue to get water into your home and might have access to qualified contractors.

For now all you can do is lessen the water on the roof. Later on you can think about preventative methods. Shoveling the snow off to not further feed the supply is a good start. A method that is working well for some folks here to create channels for the water is to fill a stocking with ice melter or salt to make a tube you lay over the ice dam. It will melts its way down creating a channel for water to escape and keep the opening from refreezing.

To prevent dams you want to keep the roof uniformly cold, so that there is not melting over the attic and then freezing as you cross to the space over the soffits. Sealing the attic to prevent warm air from entering from below is the first step, adding insulation is the second. Insulation can be added from either side, if you have bad problems I'd seriously consider moving the insulated plane of the house to the roof, adding spray foam to the bottom side of the roof (completely sealing the attic) and, when you need to re-roof, 4" of rigid foam on top of the roof. In most cases this will be enough to prevent serious ice damming. Adding ice & water shield to all edges and valleys is cheap extra insurance.

We're having a record year for icicles and dams in our neighborhood and since sealing our attic with foam I'm happy to say we now have neither. It's pretty easy to walk down the street and see which, among very similar houses similarly oriented, have been retrofitted with good air sealing and insulation.

MaineGrower - I’m sure you are right that all these things contribute. I have East/West sides to my roof. It’s been our experience that during a period of 3 weeks time, we barely saw the sun and still had bad dams. Either a storm was approaching or leaving. We also were aware that our insulation was insufficient. Our roof is straightforward, with your average pitch on the front of our Cape but not as deep a pitch on the roof of the dormer in the back. Typical of most capes. No skylights or any angles.

Rwiegand - Not sure I am following you, about adding ice and water shield to all the edges as ‘cheap extra insurance’. Do you mean ripping up the roof shingles and putting a membrane layer down and reshingling?

You really don't have to have bright visible sun to provide enough warmth to melt things on the roof this time of year. I would not rip up the shingles along the eaves to install waterproof membrane. A major job that has a good chance of damaging shingles above the area. Chances are it's already there or at least there's a drip edge there. Next time you reroof, insist on it, though.

Thanks Maine Grower! I was thinking installing membrane without redoing the entire roof was not a 'cheap' job. Evidently not even a safe job to do. Yes, next time we do the roof.

We are going to have to have the roof inspected where we have been getting ice dams and water leaking into the house. Will an inspection by a roofer reveal if there is a problem with the roof installation that might be causing water to get into the house? And will it be possible to remedy that situation without replacing the whole roof?

My reference to cheap extra insurance related to adding ice and water barrier as part of a re-roofing job. Given a limited budget I'd choose first to focus on preventing ice dams by air sealing, proper venting, and insulation of the attic rather than trying to keep a pool of water on the roof from finding a way in. No matter how good a roof you have I suspect the water will win if it's ponding and backing up under the shingles.

Thanks for that clarification Rwiegand. I guess I wouldn't have thought of re-roofing as a cheap solution. A different story if you need a new roof. Ours is not that old, about 9 years. We are planning on doing remedial work below the roof with insulation and ventilation etc. And having the roof inspected.

There are causes for this (see below) but right now you need some quick temporary solutions. Try the ice melting salt to create channels to allow water to drain. Also, there is heated electric cable available at your home store, but given your ice, it might be difficult or dangerous to install now. (Stay safe!)

Sun can cause ice dams, but they can (often) also form from the heat from within your home. In fact, that heat is generally the cause of the really bad ice dams (as I speak from experience!) Heat from your home is enough to make the snow melt even when temps are below freezing and the runoff freezes on the cold eaves. The solution here is to keep your roof from heating up from underneath. Insulate and provide attic ventilation. Too late for this year, but get ready for future years.

Two factors can cause ice dams. Both were mentioned by rwiegand and drywall guy. They are inadequate insulation and/or inadequate ventilation.

You either have problems with one or the other. Or, both.