Roof and Gutter Ice Dam Prevention in Wauwatosa, WI

We had been working with this Wauwatosa, WI customer for several years now. Initially, we had proposed a system before the front gable was added at the front entry. Prior, the gutter would drip ice and melt water onto the front stoop causing icing and damage to the concrete. The customer wanted to avoid that as well as provide some protection from rain at the front door. A remodeling contractor added the gable entry roof with thought that it would solve both problems. It certainly provided a nice covered entry to the front of the house. However, the gable created additional ice dam problems. This house is nicely remodeled inside. Typical of this style of older home, it lacks insulation and has air leakage problems, resulting in snow melt on the roof. With very little ability to add additional ventilation, this customer was dealing with ice build up at the gutter line and in the valleys. Notice the gutter, eave, and valley are free of snow and ice build up. We also added our self regulating heat cables to the gutter and downspout to prevent icicles and ice dams forming there as well.

The other side of the gable entry addition posed another problem. With two valleys converging, there was a greater build up of ice dams in that area. The remodeling contractor used ice and water shield underlayment and a sheet metal 'saddle' flashing to roof this area. With the melt water funneled into this confined area, the ice dams grew quickly. WI Ice Dam Solutions installed our heated eave panels and heated valley panels to keep these areas from ice damming up. You can see the clearly defined melted areas which will prevent the roof ice dams from forming. We will also be adding a gutter to this eave to catch the melted run off to prevent dripping below onto the concrete stoop. 

The black color chosen for the eave and valley heat panels complements the dark gray roof color and black valley flashing metal. This project performs very well and will give this Wauwatosa, WI homeowner years of trouble free ice dam prevention. With the added thermostat control, the customer can turn on the system in late fall and not have to worry about its operation. 

Does the architecture of your home cause ice dams? Are you battling constant dripping and ice forming at your front entry? We would be happy to provide you a cost effective and permanent solution to these problems. Hundreds of customers have put their trust in us over the years. Give us a call or contact us for more information.