MAINTENANCE Icicles' point: to signal damage

Proper attic ventilation and insulation can prevent ice buildup on the roof.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
AKRON -- Mother Nature must have snickered when she created icicles.
Here are these magnificent dripping daggers, these crystalline formations that are a rare source of fascination and beauty in the dreariness of winter, and it turns out they're just signs of trouble.
You'd think just making us put up with winter would be enough of a practical joke.
Icicles themselves aren't really the problem, although they can get heavy and can be dangerous when they fall. The big problem is what they represent: a cycle of thawing and freezing that could be doing significant damage to your house.
Icicles are sometimes symptoms of ice dams, masses of ice that can form along the edges of roofs as the runoff from melting snow collects and refreezes. That ice and the water it produces when it melts can work back up under the shingles and seep right into the house, turning wallboard and ceilings to mush, rendering insulation less effective and inviting the growth of harmful mold. If the leak goes unnoticed for a long time, the damage can be substantial.
Last winter was a bad winter for ice buildup on roofs, said Mickey Plank, owner of M.R. Plank Roofing Co. in Hudson, Ohio. During one mild spell, "I bet you I had 100 calls," he said.
Main causes
A few icicles are almost unavoidable this time of year. But when masses of icicles or ice dams form, it's usually because of one or more of three causes: the attic insulation is insufficient, the attic ventilation is inadequate, or the gutters and downspouts are clogged.
Attic insulation keeps warm air in the living area of the house, where it belongs. When heat is allowed to rise into the attic, it warms the roof, accelerating the melting and runoff that are at the root of icicle and ice dam formation.
Even fairly small gaps in the insulation can cause problems, said Plank and Chris Koehler, vice president and general manager of Squires Roofing Co. in Macedonia, Ohio. Attic openings and knee wall storage areas (small spaces between the roof and living area walls) in bungalows are two common culprits. The lack of insulation in those places creates "hot spots" in the attic, Plank explained, which often cause the snow to melt off the area of the roof above them.
Improper attic ventilation has the same effect as too little insulation. If the attic doesn't have enough air flow to carry off the warmer air that does rise from the living area, the attic will get too warm, and so will the roof. Likewise, bathrooms that are improperly vented send heat and moisture into the attic instead of outdoors, contributing to the problem, Koehler noted.
Clogged gutters are another contributor. Gutters and downspouts are supposed to carry away the melting snow that runs off the roof. If a buildup of debris keeps them from doing their job, "it's going to cause a problem 10 times quicker," Plank said.
Although most homeowners' insurance policies will pay for repair of water damage from an ice dam, you're still going to have to shell out the deductible, said Brian Mize, a spokesman for State Farm Insurance Cos. What's more, not all policies cover the cleanup of mold that can result, he said. So prevention definitely is the key.
What to do now?
OK, but what if you've been slacking on your home-maintenance duties? What if you're crossing your fingers hoping your bedroom ceiling doesn't come crashing down on you at 3 a.m.?
Unless you have a leak or a very big ice buildup, it may be better to do nothing than to take an aggressive approach, Koehler said. It's easy even for a pro to damage a roof in the process of removing ice. In fact, his company requires homeowners to sign a waiver, he said.
If you can reach the roof safely, you might try using a roof rake to remove the top layer of snow and then sprinkling on calcium chloride, a de-icer that won't harm shingles.
However, if the problem's extensive enough, or if your roof's leaking, you need to call in a professional. Some roofing contractors will do ice-removal work, but it's not cheap. Bud Housley of Housley Roofing and Spouting in Akron, for example, said he usually charges about $125 to clear the ice off a small area of the roof and perhaps $250 for a whole eave. Plank's charges run from $200 to as much as $600 or $700, depending on the extent of the job.
Housley typically shovels or rakes off the snow that's covering the ice, then uses a hammer and pry bar to chip away whatever ice he can. If he can't remove it all, he'll often cut channels in the ice to direct the runoff from the roof so it won't back up.
It's a job that requires caution, he and Plank said. It's easy to damage the roof or the gutters in the process, and climbing on an icy roof can be treacherous. What's more, ice dams can weigh 1,000 pounds or more -- enough to take down entire eaves and bay windows, Plank pointed out, and enough to seriously injure anyone who's unlucky or foolish enough to be underneath when one gives way.
"It's dangerous for anyone who doesn't know what they're doing," Housley said. "I would never suggest a homeowner do it."