Meltwater that backs under roof edges and into Columbus ceilings and walls. Phones answered 24/7; a crew is dispatched as fast as one is available.
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An ice dam is a ridge of refrozen meltwater at the roof edge. Snow melts on the warmer upper roof, the water runs down to the cold eave, and it freezes there. Meltwater then backs up under the shingles and finds its way into ceilings and walls. In Columbus this typically happens from January through March, after repeated freeze and thaw cycles.
Columbus gets a real winter, and the calendar explains most of the risk. The normal first 32°F arrives around 27 October and the normal last one around 18 April, and the National Weather Service puts seasonal snowfall at about 28.2 inches. Snow lying on a roof is warmed from below by the house, so it melts on the upper slope. The lower edge hangs past the wall and stays cold, so the runoff freezes there and builds a ridge. That ridge is the dam.
The damage comes from what happens next. Water that cannot run off pools behind the ridge, works under the shingles and along the flashing, and finds the nearest gap into the attic or the top floor. In older houses that gap is often a nail hole, a split in the sheathing, or a seam around a chimney or vent. The water shows up on a ceiling or down an exterior wall, usually in the room directly under the roof edge, and it does not need a storm to do it.
The pattern is most common on low-slope rear additions and shallow-eave roofs of pre-war city housing, the kind found in Clintonville and across older Columbus neighborhoods. January through March is when it peaks, with repeated freeze and thaw cycles doing the work. A house can be fine for weeks and then leak on the first warm afternoon after a hard freeze.
Do not climb onto a snowy or icy roof, and do not chop at the ice with an axe or shovel, which can tear shingles and make the leak worse. Keep clear of ceiling fixtures and outlets in any room where water is dripping, and shut power to affected circuits at the panel if you can reach it safely. If a ceiling bulges or sags, leave that room. Plumbing repairs go to a licensed plumber, and roof repairs go to a roofing contractor; the crew's work is the water inside.
This is the most common call. Water from an eave ice dam runs down an exterior wall or through the ceiling of the room below. The job is drying the cavity, the ceiling and the trim, and checking the adjacent rooms for the same path.
Meltwater often reaches the attic first. Soaked insulation is removed, and the roof boards underneath are dried and checked for staining that suggests the leak has been running for a while.
Low-slope rear additions and shallow-eave roofs on older houses are where this pattern is strongest. Finished ceilings and walls are usually opened in sections so the cavity can dry and be checked.
When an opening keeps letting water in and the roof is not yet repaired, the crew can tarp or board it to limit more water. It is a stopgap, and the roof repair follows separately.
If it's an emergency, call now. For non-urgent ice dam water damage, send the form and we'll call you back.
Not if water is already reaching a ceiling or wall. A cold stretch keeps the ridge in place, and the water behind it keeps finding a path into the house.
Waiting is the costly choice because wet materials stay wet. Insulation loses its loft, drywall softens and paint lifts. The goal in the first hours is to limit how far the water spreads and to start drying once it can be done safely.
If water has reached a light fixture or an outlet, shut power to that circuit at the panel first. Move furniture and rugs out of the room, and set a container under any drip coming through the ceiling. The crew handles the rest once it arrives.
Shallow eaves, low-slope rear additions and attics that leak heat are the usual conditions. Steep roofs with deep eaves tend to shed snow faster and hold less ice at the edge.
Heat escaping from a poorly sealed attic is what melts snow from underneath. A warm ceiling below the attic, a bathroom fan vented into the attic, or recessed lights without an air seal all push heat upward. The roof melts unevenly, and the water runs down to the cold edge.
Older Columbus housing tends to combine these conditions: rear additions tied into older roofs, thin attic insulation and short eaves. A roofing contractor is the right person to fix the roof and attic air leaks. The crew handles the water inside.
The crew removes standing water, pulls out soaked insulation and damaged materials, then sets up drying equipment. It checks for hidden moisture with meters and thermal imaging before it calls the job dry.
The crew starts at the wettest point and follows the water. Thermal imaging and moisture meters show wet wall cavities and attic framing that look dry from the room. Materials that cannot be saved, such as ceiling drywall and soaked insulation, come out so the cavity can dry.
Air movers and dehumidifiers run until readings level off. Photos and moisture readings can go to your insurer. Trim, flooring and paint come after drying and are quoted separately, once someone has seen the wet area.
Coverage is decided by your insurer under your own policy, not by this site or the crew. A standard policy generally responds to sudden and accidental water damage and generally does not cover long-term or gradual leaks.
Insurers look at how the water got in and how long it ran. A single intrusion is judged differently from seepage that has gone on for a long time. Read the policy and ask your agent how each situation is handled before assuming anything.
Take photos before anything is moved, stop the water if you safely can, and call your insurer early. If you disagree with how a claim was handled, the Ohio Department of Insurance takes consumer complaints at 800-686-1526.
The price depends on how much area is wet, how many floors and rooms it reached, and what materials have to come out. The price is confirmed on site before any work begins, and the emergency stage is explained and approved first.
A stain in one ceiling is a different job from water that ran down an exterior wall into a finished room, or through an attic into two floors. Access matters too. A third-floor room, a tight attic hatch or a crawl space all slow the work and add equipment time.
Materials matter as well. Plaster in an older house, hardwood, carpet pad and cabinetry take longer to dry and are harder to save. Repairs after drying are quoted separately, once someone has seen the wet area. Ask the crew to explain each stage before it starts.
The crew can help stop the water at the shut-off and can tarp or board up an opening from inside. Standing water is pulled out first, so the floor and any fixtures are safe to work around.
Soaked insulation, ceiling drywall and trim that cannot dry are removed. That lets the cavity air out and lets the framing be read properly.
Moisture meters and thermal imaging check wall cavities, the ceiling plane and the attic framing. Water in this kind of leak often travels farther than the stain shows.
Air movers and dehumidifiers run through the area. The crew re-checks readings until materials are dry, because drying quickly is what limits mold.
Photos and moisture readings can go to you for your insurer. Repairs are quoted after drying, and the roof itself is handled separately by a roofing contractor.
Columbus winters run long enough to matter. The normal first 32°F falls around 27 October and the last one near 18 April, and the seasonal snowfall normal is about 28.2 inches, according to the National Weather Service. Most ice dam leaks appear from January through March, when freeze and thaw repeat across the same roof.
Pre-war city housing gives this problem its local shape. Clintonville, Franklinton, Bexley, Grandview Heights and Upper Arlington have many older houses with rear additions and shallow eaves. Where a roof meets an older wall, water tends to find the seam first.
Snow and ice also load the roof, and the warm-up after a hard freeze is when many leaks show up. Expect calls during a thaw as much as during the cold snap. That freeze and thaw pattern is why ice dam damage belongs on the winter calendar here, not in the occasional-emergency column.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Interior water cleanup and emergency tarping after a roof leaks from wind or hail, including older slate and tile roofs in Columbus.
Extraction, drying and cleanup for Columbus homes and businesses, with phones answered 24/7 and a crew dispatched as fast as one is available.
Water through a ceiling from an upstairs bathroom, laundry or neighboring unit, traced, dried and cleaned by a local restoration crew.
Equipment and daily moisture readings to dry plaster, hardwood, framing and finished basements in Columbus homes.
An ice dam forms when snow on the roof melts from underneath, runs down to the cold eave, and refreezes into a ridge.
Phones are answered 24/7, and a crew is dispatched as fast as one is available. No arrival time is promised, because road conditions and call volume change the schedule. While you wait, shut off power to affected circuits and set containers under drips. Tell the caller where the water is entering and whether it is near a light or outlet.
The crew's work is the water inside the house, along with emergency tarping or board-up of an opening. Clearing ice from the roof and repairing the roof edge or flashing is roofing work, and a roofing contractor should handle it. Ask the crew how it will protect the inside while the outside is being fixed.
No. Ceiling water can come from a failed supply line, a leaking vent stack or a roof leak from storm damage. The crew checks the source during the moisture check. Where the source is plumbing, a licensed plumber fixes it. Tell the caller when the stain appeared and what the weather has been doing.
EPA guidance is to dry water-damaged areas and items within 24 to 48 hours to limit mold. The crew re-checks moisture readings until materials are dry, so the total time depends on what got wet. Removing materials that cannot be saved can speed drying. Repairs begin after drying is finished.
It can be, when wet materials stay wet. Mold can trigger allergy and asthma symptoms in some people. The crew's approach follows industry guidance, including ANSI/IICRC S500 for water damage and EPA mold guidance. Ask any company which standard it works to and which certifications its technicians hold.
Small, easily dried areas can sometimes be handled by a homeowner. Water in insulation, drywall or the attic usually needs professional drying, because moisture hides inside walls and framing. Be careful on ladders and in the attic. If you are unsure how far the water went, call the crew for a check.