The Dreaded Drip: Ice Dams Lead To Leaks In Detroit-Area Homes

DETROIT (WWJ) - As Michigan creeps towards spring and snow begins to melt, the aftermath is causing one big problem for homeowners across metro Detroit — ice dams.

Jeff Petrucci , President of Bloomfield Construction explained that, during the winter ice, and snow build up on the roof of your house. When it starts melting, it forms ice again at the base of the gutter or roof.

"You've got snow melting on the roof and it tries to go down the roof line," Petrucci told WWJ Newsradio 950. "It has nowhere to go and the dam at the bottom of the roof causes water to be forced back up under the shingles."

"So we're seeing a huge increase in the amount of people that have water inside the house," Petrucci said.

Once the damage is done, cleanup and restoration of property doesn't come cheap.

According to Petrucci, repair costs can reach several hundred dollars per room, but he says that most homeowners' insurance policies will cover at least a portion of the cost.

With the little ice that has melted so far, local homeowner Sandy Hermanoff is having problems in her family room.

"It just makes for a stressful night," Hermanoff said. "I was up maybe five or six times and we were just changing places to come in and put pans under wherever it was leaking."

"We have gutter guards, we have everything you can possibly have," Hermanoff added. "When the water freezes, there is nothing you can do. When it starts to melt, where's the water going to go but in your windows."

Hermanoff called in the professionals -- who came to the house and cleared the roof and gutters of snow and ice. She's confident that the damage inside the house is under control.

Petrucci encourages homeowners not to hesitate to look into fixing the problem — before it's too late.

"You've got to take prudent steps to minimize the damage," Petrucci said. "You let that water just keep dripping in the walls, it can go on for days and the risk is it's not dried up properly and quickly. Some kind of microbial growth will form behind the walls."

MORE: State And City Leaders Urge Residents To Prepare For Flooding