Ice dams push meltwater under slate and tile roofs and into the upstairs ceiling below. Here is what a crew does about it.
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An ice dam is a ridge of refrozen meltwater at the roof edge. Snow melts on the warmer part of the roof, the water runs down to the cold eave, and it freezes there. Meltwater backs up behind that ridge, works under the shingles, slate or tile, and reaches the ceiling below.
Many houses in Lakewood have slate or tile roofs with built-in eaves gutters set into the roof edge. That combination is the classic ice dam set-up. Snow sits on the roof, the middle of the roof melts it, and the water runs down to the cold edge and freezes into a dam. Melt that backs up behind the dam finds its way under the covering and into the house.
The first sign is often a stain on a bedroom ceiling. In a Cleveland double, the upstairs flat sits directly under the roof, so a leak there can show on the upper ceiling long before anyone thinks to check the attic. Read more about ceiling water damage and roof leak cleanup.
Phones are answered 24/7, and a crew is dispatched as fast as one is available. The crew handles the inside of the house: finding the wet materials, drying them and documenting the damage. Rebuilding the roof or its gutters is not part of this work, so the cause goes to a roofer.
Do not climb onto a snow-covered or icy roof to clear the dam, and do not chip at the ice with a pick, shovel or hammer. Do not pull down a stained ceiling, because the water above can be heavy and the drywall can fall without warning. If water is near a light fixture, an outlet or the electrical panel, cut power at the panel only if you can reach it without standing in water. Keep children and pets out of the room below a wet ceiling.
This is the most common version in Lakewood. Water runs down through the insulation and ceiling joists and shows in a bedroom or hallway. In a double, the upstairs flat often shows the first sign, and the crew checks the flat below as well.
Meltwater that runs behind the gutter line can soak the top of an exterior wall and come out at a window head or a corner. Plaster walls hold water and dry slowly, so the crew opens the wall where the readings call for it.
Many older houses have a porch roof or bay roof where an upper wall meets a lower roof edge. Melt backs up at that joint and enters above a front room. Tarping on a porch roof is done only where it can be reached safely.
A third-floor apartment under a steep roof can hold water in its insulation for days before anyone sees it. The crew checks the insulation and the ceiling below, and access to the attic can add time on site.
A crew is dispatched as fast as one is available, and you approve the estimate before any work starts.
Heat from the house melts snow on the upper roof, and that water runs down until it reaches the cold eave, where it refreezes. Each cycle adds ice, and the dam holds back fresh melt.
Heat escaping from the rooms below can warm the underside of the roof boards and melt snow from beneath. The roof ends up warm in the middle and cold at the edge, which is the mechanism to remember.
Slate and tile shed water, so a dam has to grow large before it shows. Built-in eaves gutters hold meltwater right at the edge, where the ice is thickest. We get less lake-effect snow than the east side, but we get the same freezes and the same thaws.
An ice dam leak usually shows up after a thaw or a warm spell, near the eaves or on the wall under the gutter line. A leak that runs only in heavy summer rain points to a different source.
Look for ice ridges along the eave, unusually thick icicles, or water coming out where the gutter meets the wall. Inside, watch for staining on the top-floor ceiling, bubbling paint or a drip that starts only during thaw.
You do not need to settle the cause before calling. The crew uses moisture meters and thermal imaging to map the wet area, which often shows more than the stain does. The cause and any roof repair belong to a roofer.
The crew finds the wet area, removes what cannot be dried, and sets air movers and dehumidifiers. It re-checks readings until the materials are dry.
Wet ceiling drywall, insulation and sometimes the subfloor above are the usual items. Plaster ceilings in older houses dry slowly, and some may need to be opened so air can reach the wet layers.
Drying is measured, not guessed. Readings are logged room by room, and the crew can give you photos and moisture readings for your claim. Repairs after drying are quoted separately.
The size of the wet area, how far the water traveled, the materials involved and access all shape the job. The price is explained and approved before work begins.
In a double, water can cross from the upper flat into the lower one, so the crew may need to check both units. Plaster, an old softwood subfloor or a ceiling that has to be opened adds drying time and more work.
A third-floor apartment or a narrow attic stair changes how long the crew needs on site. The emergency stage is explained and approved first, and the price is confirmed on site before any work begins.
That depends on your policy and the cause, and your insurer makes that decision. Check your policy or ask your agent before you need to file a claim.
A standard homeowners policy generally responds to sudden and accidental water damage and generally does not cover long-term or gradual leaks. How a roof leak from a dam is treated can depend on the policy wording, so ask your insurer directly.
Take photos before anything is moved, and call your insurer early. The crew can document the damage for your claim, but coverage is decided by your insurer. Tenants should check renters insurance, since the building belongs to the owner.
Phones are answered 24/7, and a crew is dispatched as fast as one is available. Say which floor shows the stain, whether the ceiling is sagging and whether the power is on near the leak.
The crew can help stop the water at the shut-off and tarp or board up an opening where it is safe to reach. Move furniture and belongings out of the wet area so they do not soak up more water.
Moisture meters and thermal imaging show wet drywall, insulation and framing, including areas behind the surface that look dry. That survey decides what has to be opened and what can stay.
Air movers and dehumidifiers go in, and the crew logs readings and re-checks them until the materials are dry. Drying quickly limits how long moisture has to support mold growth.
The crew can give you photos and moisture readings to share with your insurer. Repairs after drying are quoted separately, once someone has seen the area, and roof work goes to a roofer.
Pre-1940 Colonials, bungalows and Cleveland doubles in Lakewood often carry slate or tile with built-in eaves gutters, and that is where the trouble starts. The same roof types are common in Shaker Heights and Cleveland Heights, so the pattern is familiar across the inner ring.
The up-and-down double puts a bathroom and kitchen directly over a living room. A roof leak that reaches the top-floor ceiling can reach the flat below, and a tenant, a landlord and an insurer may all be involved. The crew can work through both units and share readings with each party.
The first freeze normally comes around late October, and the last freeze into late April. Those are the months when the freeze and thaw cycle that builds dams is most likely here, even though the heavy snowbelt sits east of Cleveland.
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Interior cleanup and emergency tarping for roof leaks in Lakewood's older houses, doubles and porch roofs. Phones answered 24/7.
Upstairs leaks soak plaster and drop through Lakewood ceilings. A local crew extracts the water, dries the ceiling cavity and checks the rooms below.
Extraction, drying and cleanup for water damage in Lakewood's older houses, basements and doubles, with phones answered 24/7.
Drying wall cavities, subfloors and masonry in older Lakewood houses, tracked with moisture readings until the structure is dry.
An ice dam forms when heat escaping from the attic melts snow on the roof, and the meltwater refreezes at the cold eave into a ridge.
It can be. Water that reaches a ceiling keeps soaking the materials and can work its way into the room below. Phones are answered 24/7, and a crew is dispatched as fast as one is available. Drying quickly limits the time moisture has to support mold growth, which is the honest reason to call early.
It is risky. Working on an icy roof is a fall hazard, and hot water or sharp tools can crack slate or tile and damage the gutter. Ask a roofer about safe options for the cause. Your own job is to protect the inside of the house and keep people out of the wet room.
No. Roof replacement and built-in gutter replacement are not part of this work. The crew can tarp or board up an opening where it is safe to reach, then clean and dry the inside. A roofer handles the cause of the dam.
It depends on the materials and how much water got in. Plaster and old subfloor dry slowly, and the crew re-checks readings until the materials are dry. The drying plan is explained on site before work begins.
No. The crew can document the damage and give you photos and moisture readings for your claim. Coverage is decided by your insurer under your own policy, and the price is confirmed on site before any work begins.
Often, yes. Those suburbs have many of the same slate and tile roofs with built-in gutters, and the same freeze and thaw cycle applies. The crew uses the same moisture-reading process wherever the house is in the service area.
Only if a pipe is the source. Melt from a dam is a roof problem, but a frozen or burst supply line inside a wall is different. Plumbing repair is outside this crew's work and needs a licensed plumber, registered in the city where the house is.