Roof Snow and Ice Dam Removal in Winnipeg

Winnipeg Residential Snow Removal clears heavy snow and ice dams off Winnipeg roofs before the water they trap finds its way indoors. The first sign is usually small. A brown stain spreads on the bedroom ceiling near an outside wall, or icicles as long as an arm hang over the front door.

How does an ice dam form on a Winnipeg roof?

Heat from the house escapes into the attic and warms the roof deck, so the snow on the upper roof melts. The water runs down to the eaves, which stay cold because there is no heat under them, and it freezes there. Over several days the ice builds into a ridge that traps the water coming down behind it.

That pooled water has nowhere to go but up and under the shingles. From there it soaks the underlay and the sheathing, and it eventually shows up in the ceiling or down inside an exterior wall. Winnipeg’s long cold spells with a warm afternoon in the middle are exactly the pattern that builds these dams.

What do we do at the roof edge?

The work starts at the bottom of the roof, because that is where the damage is done. We pull the snow back from the eaves, working in strips, so that meltwater has a clear path to the gutter or the roof edge. Where an ice dam is already built, we open channels in it so the trapped water can drain off.

We do not chip at shingles or hack at ice against the gutters. Ice stuck to a roof surface is cleared in small pieces, and if it is bonded too hard to remove without harming the roof, we say so rather than force it. After the roof edge, we clear what came down onto the ground.

Is a heavy roof load a problem?

Wet, packed snow on a roof is heavy, and a deep drift on one side after a windy storm is heavier still. Most Winnipeg roofs are built for the loads they will see, so a normal winter snowpack is not an emergency. The cases that call for clearing are the ones where the snow is much deeper than usual, where it has drifted against a wall or a lower roof, or where a flat or low-slope section is holding standing water under the snow.

Garages, sheds and porches with shallow roofs are the common ones. If you notice a door or window sticking that normally works, or hear cracking from the roof structure, get the load off and have the roof checked.

What about the ground below?

A roof that sheds all at once drops a great deal of snow in one place. It lands on the front walk, buries the steps or blocks the garage door. After we clear the roof, we clear the landing zone as well, using the same approach we use for walkways and steps and the driveway.

Icicles above an entrance are worth a separate look. They come down without warning and hit whoever is standing underneath. We knock down the ones over doors and walks while we are at the eaves.

Roof snow work around Charleswood and Selkirk

In Charleswood, a neighbourhood that added roughly 7,500 homes in the 1970s, any lot where trees shade one side of a roof shows the pattern: the melt runs on the sunny side and refreezes on the shaded side, which is how uneven ice builds at the eaves.

In Selkirk, as anywhere the wind moves snow, a porch or an addition on the downwind side of the house is where drifts collect.

What fixes the cause?

Clearing the roof edge stops the damage for this week. The cause is warm air reaching the underside of the roof, and that is an attic job: sealing the gaps where house air leaks up, adding insulation and keeping the attic vents open. We tell you what we see in the attic or along the eaves, and a roofer or insulation contractor does the permanent repair.

If your roof drips every thaw, or you have had the same stain return, the real fix is overdue. Regular clearing at the eaves until then lowers the risk of water reaching the ceiling.

Get the roof cleared before the next thaw

If you can see an ice ridge at the eaves or a stain on the ceiling, call or send a message with a photo of the roof edge. Ask for a free quote and we will say whether it needs doing now or can wait. For houses that need this every winter, a seasonal contract can include roof edge visits, and after a big dump our emergency snow removal covers the rest of the property.

What's Included

• Snow raked back from the eaves and the lower roof edge
• Ice dams opened so meltwater can drain off the roof
• Icicles and ice ridges cleared from above doors and walkways
• Fallen roof snow cleared from the ground below
• A look at the attic side of the problem before the next freeze

Other Services We Offer in Winnipeg

• Driveway Snow Clearing
• Windrow Clearing in Winnipeg
• Snow Removal for Seniors in Winnipeg
• Sidewalk and Walkway Clearing
• Snow Shovelling and Snow Blowing in Winnipeg
• Back Lane and Garage Pad Clearing in Winnipeg