We steam ice dams off Woodbury, MN roofs, from the streets around Woodbury Lakes and Central Park out to the Cottage Grove and Oakdale borders. Our ice dam removal opens the frozen eave so meltwater can drain off the shingles again, and we pick up calls 24/7.
Ice dam removal for a Woodbury, MN home means melting the frozen band at the eave, and the ice stacked behind it, with low-pressure steam until meltwater can drain past the eave. Half of Woodbury's homes were built in 1997 or later, so attic air leaks and busy rooflines usually start the trouble here.
Above recessed lights, fans and hatches
University of Minnesota Extension researchers found that air leaking from the house into the attic is what melts roof snow from below in many homes. A newer house can still leak warm air around recessed lights, bath fans and the attic hatch.
Early in the winter
MSP airport's 1991-2020 NOAA normals show a high above 32°F on 14.3 days in December, against 9.5 in January. December is also the snowiest of the four winter months there, at 11.4 inches, so dams can start before the holidays.
Valleys and lower roof sections
Snow drifts against the wall where an attached garage or lower roof meets the second story. Heat through that wall melts the drift, and the water freezes where the valley runs out over the cold garage eave.
Our Woodbury work falls into four kinds of job, all done with steam. The homepage walks through the steps of our steam method in order.
When the ceiling is already dripping, our first task is a drain path steamed through the ice right above the drip. Extension guidance treats such a path as short-lived, so we keep going until the full dam is off.
Taller houses put the dam well above a short ladder, and steep hip roofs shed snow into the valleys. We set up for the height first, then steam the eave clear in short sections.
A gutter packed with ice gives meltwater nowhere to go, even after the eave is clear. We steam the ice out of the trough and open each downspout outlet so water leaves the roof edge.
The Census counts 17,254 of Woodbury's 29,990 housing units as detached houses, so more than four in ten share walls or roofs. We work through association buildings one section at a time and give the manager a list of units where ice had built up.
Woodbury's housing is young by metro standards, which changes where we look for the cause and what to ask a roofer later.
Only 399 of Woodbury's 29,990 housing units date from before 1940, by the Census count. Dams here usually trace back to attic air leaks and roof shape, so we study the roofline and the bare spots from the yard before a ladder goes up.
The City of Woodbury Building Permits & Inspections office issues the city's building permits. If the ice has lifted shingles or rotted decking that must be replaced, take dated photos for your insurer before that repair begins.
Minnesota code calls for an ice barrier membrane from the eave to a line two feet past the inside of the outer wall. Water that backs up higher than that, or runs along a valley, can still get past it on a code-built roof.
Tell us your city, the kind of roof and whether water is already showing inside.
Call (612) 471-2509We work all over Woodbury, MN in Washington County, and you can browse other Minnesota cities we cover.
Woodbury, by ZIP code
Roseville's homes are nearly thirty years older than Woodbury's, with a 1969 median build year in Census data.
West across the river, Minneapolis homes have a 1951 median build year, nearly half a century older than the typical Woodbury house.
The Rochester airport station records 53.1 inches of snow in a normal winter, almost two inches more than the MSP normal.
Woodbury, MN owners tend to ask about coverage, newer roofs, claims and timing.
Yes. We work across the whole city in Washington County, from the Woodbury Lakes area to the edges near Cottage Grove and Lake Elmo. Give us the street address when you call so we know the roof height before we drive out.
Yes. Code-built roofs have an ice barrier at the eave, but water backed up past that strip or along a valley can still leak. Warm attic air from leaky lights and hatches builds the dam either way.
It can. A Minnesota Department of Commerce spokesperson told MPR News that an insurer may refuse coverage by arguing the house was not maintained. Read more on ice dam claims and your insurer.
No. December brings more days above freezing than January and the most snow of the winter months, so dams can form early. See how the season builds through winter for the full pattern.
Tell us which eave has the ice and whether water is showing inside. For an emergency we steam a drain path above the leak before clearing the rest, and someone answers the line 24/7.
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Call (612) 471-2509