Dam

Sometimes you wish you would have been better prepared, like we do about this year's winter.  But other times you realize that you did the best you could, because you compared it to the only other evidence you've been given.

This is our second winter in this home.  While we had snow fall last year, we did not have it in quite the same way we did this year.  Also, we've heard about the damaging effects of ice dams, but we've never personally had to deal with them.  And since we didn't have to deal with it last year, our first and only other winter we've been in this house, we didn't realize that we needed to be prepared in such a way.

Because the dam was getting bigger and bigger in a spot that never sees sun in the winter, we were getting more and more worried that it was going to do some major damage as it slowly melted with the upcoming warmer temperatures predicted.  While in Lowe's looking for the heat wires that specifically say that they shouldn't be used once an ice dam has formed, we realized that of course it would have been better to have them in place when the snow started to fall, but there wasn't much we could do about that now.  We bought the heat wire knowing full well we weren't going to be able to follow the directions and recommendations.

It felt weird seeing Randy shoveling show off the roof, made even more surreal when you realize we hadn't had snow fall for a few days.  With the warmer temperatures, the snow was melting at a slow pace, adding more and more ice to the dam once the temperatures dropped each night.  Randy took measures into his own hands.  Well, shovel in his own hands...

Once the snow was removed, he had a nice little shelf to set the 150' of heat wire.  He also took out a chisel and hammer for the stuff that was sitting 6" above the rain gutters.  My goodness, what a job that was.  For the next few days, we'd turn on the heat wire during the day, where we could watch in case something happened because we'd knowingly installed them wrong, and off at night.  I'm happy to say that the dam is now gone.

Just in time for the freezing rain and snow projected for tomorrow...

We'll be prepared better next year.  Where I'm sure we will not have a single Snow Day, unlike the 6 we've had this year.