Roofing Guide · · Smart Roof Installation Green Bay
Every Wisconsin winter, meltwater refreezes at cold eaves, builds into a dam, and backs up under shingles into living rooms. Ice dams look like a roofing failure — but they are almost always an attic-system failure. Understanding that distinction saves thousands.
Warm air escapes into the attic through bypass leaks and thin insulation, warming the roof deck. Snow melts on the warm mid-roof, runs down to the cold overhang past the exterior wall, and refreezes. Layer by layer, the dam grows — and pooled water behind it exploits every shingle edge and nail hole.
Contain interior water with buckets and move valuables. Outside, do not hack at the dam — you will destroy shingles. Calcium chloride in a nylon stocking laid across the dam can open a drainage channel. For severe cases, call for steam removal and emergency tarping: (920) 555-0100.
Seal attic bypasses — plumbing stacks, electrical penetrations, chimney chases, can lights, attic hatches. This is the highest-leverage work and the most commonly skipped.
With bypasses sealed, bring attic insulation to recommended depth. Insulation without air-sealing underperforms; together they keep the deck uniformly cold.
Continuous soffit intake plus ridge exhaust (or equivalent) flushes residual heat and moisture. Blocked soffits — buried in insulation — are the defect we find most often.
Ice-and-water membrane at eaves and valleys provides a last line of defense, and metal roofing sheds snow before dams can build. Both complement — never replace — the attic fix.
Fighting the same dams every winter? An energy and ventilation audit finds the actual cause — usually fixable without a full roof replacement.
Related services: Energy Efficient Roofing, Roof Repair, Free Roof Inspection. Or start at our Green Bay roofing home page.
Ask during a free inspection — photos, findings, and firm pricing, with no obligation.