Ice dam leaks in Solvay: old village houses and the first few feet of the roof

Solvay houses are old. The median date is 1947, and more than four in ten homes date from 1939 or earlier. That is a proxy for age, not for your eave. Housing this old may have had its roof covering and ceilings redone, so ask what is under yours.

An ice dam forms when snow melts on the warm part of the roof and the water refreezes at the cold overhang. The dam holds back more melt, which backs up under the shingles. An ice dam can leave wet underlayment, soft boards by the wall and a ceiling stain just inside.

Tell the roofer when the stain shows. A stain that appears only in a thaw is the pattern the dam leaves.

The residential code for New York says the eave gets an ice barrier, made of two cemented underlayment layers or a self-adhering sheet, and it must reach 24 inches inside the outside wall. It also calls for a drip edge at the eaves on a shingle roof.

Check that the estimate includes the barrier and the drip edge, and note how far up the slope the barrier goes. On a replacement, the tear-off to the deck lets the roofer lay them correctly. On a repair, the roofer may open a strip along the edge.

The federal energy guide says the lasting cure for ice dams starts with air sealing, insulating and ventilating. That is upstream of the roof. Your roofer's estimate is about the edge.

At Syracuse's airport weather station the temperature crosses freezing on about 84 days a year, and the worst month is March, not January. A mild March week is when a Solvay edge can show a stain.

Write down which wall the stain is on, how far it is from the corner, and which month it appears. If the soffit is stained or soft, add that. A roofer who reads those notes knows where to look first.

Ask for the edge repair priced separately from the full roof. If the deck at the edge is soft, ask for a per-sheet price for the boards before work starts.

Keep off the roof and stay clear of any wires. A roofer can read the edge from the yard.