No roof is immune to ice dams, but this helps – Bend Bulletin

Bend roofing companies are still busy helping residents fix the damage caused by the winters historic storms.

The most prominent damage was created by ice dams, which form when ice buildup on the edge of a roof causes melting snow to back up and leak into a home.

Really, ice dams affect roofs of all levels, style and build, Craig Blanchette, project manager at Northwest Quality Roofing in Bend, said. Ice dams dont discriminate to say the least.

Blanchette said his company is booked until Memorial Day with people still needing roof assessments and repairs.

Northwest Quality Roofing, which serves all of Central Oregon, usually sees most of its business come from Sunriver and La Pine during a typical winter. This past winter, Blanchette was surprised with how many calls came from Redmond, Madras and Prineville, areas that normally have milder winters.

Our phones were ringing off the hook, Blanchette said.

Blanchette jokes the only way to avoid ice dams is to move to Los Angeles or Phoenix. Joking aside, he said, proper insulation and ventilation are a homeowners best defense against ice dams.

If we can eliminate our heat loss, and make sure our attic space is properly ventilated that is really going to help, Blanchette said. We cannot in our area completely prevent ice dams, but that is going to be a great start.

He also suggests heat tape or deicing wires but recommends having a licensed electrician install them. Another option is using roof rakes to rake off as much snow as possible once a storm stops. Residents should avoid going up on their roofs because it is not safe, and their weight could actually cause more harm to the roof, Blanchette said.

Blanchette, who has been working in the roofing industry in Central Oregon since 2000, said he has never seen the likes of this years winter storms. Every day he sees the toll the winter took on the region.

We have all been in it together, whether you are the contractor or homeowner or tenant, Blanchette said. It has affected us all.

Thomas Hunziker who co-owns AM-1 Roofing in Bend with his wife, Jennifer said this past winter tested all the new housing built recently in the High Desert. Hunziker, who moved to Central Oregon in 1989 and started his business in 1993, said he has seen many houses in the area not built to handle such a severe winter.

We had two months of way below average temperatures and it threw everybody for a loop. No one knew what to do, Hunziker said. What it did is it exposed every shortcoming in design and every mistake ever made.

Much of the work Hunziker is doing now is making visits to damaged homes, and educating the homeowners on what they can do in the future. He offers advice about adding insulation and ventilation to help avoid ice dams.

Like other roofing companies, AM-1 Roofing also has a full schedule of roof repairs and replacements. Most problems Hunziker finds are not roofing issues, but rather condensation issues inside an attic.

Hunziker worries other roofing business, some coming from out of town, are gouging people, and making promises they cannot keep.

Anyone who guarantees an ice dam will not be a problem again is crazy, Hunziker said.

Roofs are not designed to go underwater, he said.

Reporter: 541-617-7820,

kspurr@bendbulletin.com

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No roof is immune to ice dams, but this helps - Bend Bulletin