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You don't have to remove an ice dam to stop the leak; you have to let the water behind it drain. The safe DIY way is to rake the snow off the eave from the ground, then lay a stocking filled with calcium chloride ice melt across the dam so it melts a channel through to the gutter over a few hours. Use calcium chloride, never rock salt: rock salt is hard on shingles, metal and the plants below, and on pavement the Wisconsin Salt Wise chart stops recommending it below 15 °F while calcium or magnesium chloride still works down to −5 °F. If water is already coming inside, a professional steam crew clears the dam; Fixr puts steam at $400–$600 an hour with a 2-hour minimum, about $800–$1,800 for a typical house.
| Product | Recommended pavement temperatures |
|---|---|
| Rock salt (sodium chloride) | 15 to 32 °F |
| Bagged blend, mostly sodium chloride | 15 to 32 °F |
| Calcium or magnesium chloride | −5 to 15 °F |
Work from the ground. If you can't reach from the ground, don't climb a ladder against an icy gutter; call a crew.
| Method | Per hour | Typical hours | Typical job |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-pressure steam (recommended) | $400–$600 | 2–3 | $800–$1,800 |
| High-pressure hot water | $200–$400 | 2–5 | $400–$2,000 |
| Chipping / mechanical | $200–$300 | 4–6 | $800–$1,800 |
| Calcium chloride / roof melt tablets | $100–$150 | 2–3 | $200–$450 |
HomeAdvisor and Fixr put the average ice dam removal job at about $1,200. Low-pressure steam is the method roofers recommend because it melts without hammering or blasting the shingles; a crew using calcium chloride bills less per hour ($100–$150) but is slow. Price your house with the ice dam removal cost calculator.
Ice dams form because heat leaks into the attic and warms the roof deck. Air-seal and insulate the attic floor, balance soffit intake with ridge exhaust, and keep ice and water shield under the eaves; the ice dam prevention guide covers each step. On eaves that ice up every year, a zig-zag of heat cable keeps a drainage path open: see how to install roof heat cable.
Rake the snow off the eave from the ground, then lay stockings filled with calcium chloride across the dam every 2 to 3 ft, hanging over the gutter. They melt drainage channels in a few hours. If water is coming inside, call a steam crew.
No. Rock salt (sodium chloride) is hard on shingles, gutters and flashing and kills plants below. Use calcium chloride roof ice melt.
It is the product sold for roof ice melt and is gentler than rock salt, but it is still a salt: use it in stockings or pucks rather than loose, and rinse the area where meltwater lands in spring.
Fixr (January 2025): steam at $400–$600 an hour with a 2-hour minimum, about $800–$1,800 for a typical house; the average job is about $1,200.
No. Hitting the ice cracks shingles and pulls gutters off, and falling ice injures people. Melt a channel instead, or hire a steam crew.
Reviewed . General guidance, not engineering or electrical advice: a sagging roof needs a structural engineer, and hard-wired de-icing circuits need a licensed electrician.