If ice is backed up along your roofline and water is coming through a bedroom ceiling or running down an exterior wall in Macomb, you actually need two different calls, not one. Call Flood and Fire Solutions at (586) 580-0197 for the water already inside your home; the company answers calls 24/7 and carries a 4.5-star Google rating from 35 reviews. Call a roofer or a dedicated ice dam removal crew for the ice itself. The two jobs run side by side, not one after the other, and knowing which is which saves time while water is still moving through your ceiling.
Do I call a roofer or a restoration company first?
Call whichever stops damage fastest, and in most active leaks that means both calls happen within the same hour. A roofer or steam crew removes the ice dam itself so water stops finding a path inside. A restoration company extracts standing water, pulls back wet drywall and insulation before mold has a chance to start, and sets up drying equipment in the attic and wall cavities.
These are two different trades because they solve two different problems. The ice dam is a roofing and exterior problem: compacted snow and ice blocking the eave, backing meltwater up under the shingles. The leak itself, once water is sitting in your attic insulation, ceiling drywall, or a wall cavity, is a water damage problem. One company rarely does both well. If the roof is still actively shedding water into your living space, start the restoration call first since that’s the damage accumulating by the minute, then get the roofer or ice dam specialist scheduled in the same conversation. See the ice dam service overview for what that two-trade response typically looks like around Macomb, Sterling Heights, and Shelby Township in a hard winter.
What do I do in the first few minutes while water is leaking?
Move anything valuable or absorbent out from under the leak and stop the damage from spreading before help arrives. Grab furniture, electronics, and boxes out of the drip zone, and set a bucket or tarp under the active leak.
A few more things matter in these first minutes:
- Stay out from under a sagging or bulging ceiling. A water-loaded ceiling can collapse without warning; if drywall is bowing down, rope off the room and wait for a crew rather than poking a hole to “release” the water yourself.
- Cut power to the affected circuit only if you can do it safely at the panel. Never touch a switch or outlet near standing water or a wet ceiling fixture.
- Photograph the damage before you move or clean anything. Wide shots of the room, close-ups of the stain or drip point, and anything damaged. These photos matter for your insurance claim.
- Call your insurance company once the leak is contained, not before. Settling an insurance claim after a disaster goes smoother when you can show prompt mitigation and clear documentation.
Don’t chip at the ice dam with an axe, hammer, or ice pick, and skip the pressure washer. Both crack shingles and flashing, which usually turns one leak into several.
What happens when I call a restoration company for an ice dam leak?
The first call is a short triage conversation, not a sales pitch: where the water is coming from, how long it’s been leaking, and whether the ceiling or walls are actively sagging. That call decides whether a crew comes out the same day or whether the fix can wait for daylight.
On arrival, a technician maps how far the water traveled using a moisture meter, since ice dam water often runs well past the visible stain, soaking attic insulation and framing along the way before it ever shows up on a ceiling. Wet insulation generally gets pulled rather than dried in place, since fiberglass and cellulose rarely dry evenly once saturated. Drywall with sustained moisture readings gets opened up or removed in sections so the cavity behind it can actually dry, following the drying principles in the ANSI/IICRC S500 water damage standard. Air movers and a dehumidifier typically run for two to four days, depending on how much of the attic and wall cavity got wet.
Will my homeowners insurance cover ice dam water damage?
Most homeowners policies cover sudden interior water damage from an ice dam, since it’s treated as a sudden, accidental event rather than gradual seepage. Coverage specifics vary by insurer and policy, so check your declarations page or call your agent before assuming the full repair is paid.
What typically isn’t covered: damage tied to a known, long-ignored roof problem, or a dam that formed because gutters went uncleaned for years. Document the leak promptly and keep the restoration company’s drying report; most insurers treat a fast, well-documented ice dam claim much like a burst pipe claim.
If you’re also weighing a frozen supply line alongside the ice dam, who to call for frozen pipes in Macomb walks through that separate call. For the broader mitigation checklist on any winter water loss, see what to do in the first 24 hours after water damage.
Once the ceiling is drying and the roofer has the ice cleared, a quick water damage restoration assessment confirms nothing was missed behind the walls before you close up drywall or repaint. If the leak is still active, emergency water removal is the call to make first.
About the author
This post was written by Craig Geatches for a locally owned restoration company serving Macomb, Michigan since 1996. The company answers calls 24/7 and works across Sterling Heights, Warren, Clinton Township, Shelby Township, and the surrounding area, handling water damage restoration, emergency water removal, sewage cleanup, and ice dam water intrusion.