Ice dams are not a Scranton problem so much as a Pennsylvania one, and they show up on the same handful of eaves and valleys year after year. As part of our complete Scranton winter roof services, crews handle roof snow removal across Lackawanna County.
Scranton Ice Dams: Wet Snow and a Thermometer That Will Not Settle
A nor'easter can load a roof in Scranton with heavy, wet snow overnight. Coastal air then swings the temperature either side of freezing for days, which is the exact condition that builds ice fastest.
The building stock compounds it. A great many Scranton houses were built long before attic air sealing was a consideration, and the retrofits that followed often insulated the floor while leaving the bypasses wide open.
Ice-barrier practice in Lackawanna County
Ice-barrier membrane at the eaves is standard on re-roofs across coastal Pennsylvania, and many towns enforce it strictly. Homes that have not been re-roofed since that became normal practice are the ones that leak first.
Roof Snow Removal in Scranton: How The Work Runs
Clearing before the thaw rather than after
A warm spell is not relief. Meltwater from a deep pack has to go somewhere, and on a roof whose eaves and gutters are still frozen it goes under the shingles. The week a Scranton forecast turns mild is the week the interior leak calls start. Ceiling Sagging or Bulging After Snow.
Taking the snow off ahead of the thaw removes the water before it has a chance to find a way in, which is a far cheaper exercise than mitigating the ceiling it would otherwise come through.
Rain on top of snow
A warm rain onto a deep pack is the loading case that puts roofs on the news. The snow absorbs the rain instead of shedding it, the drains and gutters are still frozen, and the load can climb sharply within hours while the depth barely changes.
When that forecast appears over Lackawanna the priority order changes: large flat spans and anything already carrying a deep pack get cleared ahead of the line, before the rain rather than after it.
Rake from the ground or crew on the roof
Ground work is safer, cheaper and enough for most single-story and story-and-a-half Scranton homes. The limit is reach: a rake handles the first several feet and nothing past it.
Above that, or where the pitch makes a rake useless, somebody goes up harnessed. The call is made on arrival and the rate reflects which it turned out to be.
Clearing the eaves is what matters
The first three to six feet above the gutter line is where dams build, because that strip of roof sits past the heated part of the house. Taking the snow off that band removes the meltwater supply before the next thaw-freeze cycle can turn it into ice.
Crews work from the ground with extended rakes wherever the pitch and height allow, and from the roof with harnesses and anchors when they do not. A cushion layer of snow is always left behind on the surface, because a rake run hard against bare shingle does its own damage.
When to book it
After any heavy snowfall, and before a forecast thaw followed by a hard freeze — that sequence is what builds dams fastest. Properties with a history of dams at the same eave every year are worth putting on a standing clear-after-every-storm schedule rather than calling each time.
What you get in Scranton
- Paths cleared behind usDriveways and walks are not left buried when the crew leaves
- Load reductionWeight comes off valleys, dormer pockets and drift zones that collect the most
- Surface never touchedA cushion layer is left so the rake never rides on bare shingle
| Local ice-barrier practice | Eave membrane standard on re-roofs |
|---|---|
| Dispatch window | Same day to 24 hours |
| Removal method | Low-pressure steam only. No chipping, salt or pressure washing. |
| Service | Roof Snow Removal in Scranton, PA |
| Coverage area | Scranton and Lackawanna County |
| Primary climate stressor | Nor'easters, rapid thaw-freeze swing |
| Pricing model | Billed by the crew hour, rate quoted before dispatch |
Scranton Coverage and the Adjoining Communities
Crews working Scranton cover the adjoining communities on the same route — Moosic, Taylor, Old Forge, Duryea and Pittston — so a storm week usually means one truck handling several addresses in Lackawanna County rather than separate trips.
Nearest hub towns with their own roof snow removal pages: Wilkes-Barre, Pocono Pines, Hazleton, Easton, Bethlehem, Allentown.
Crews cover Scranton and the surrounding Lackawanna County towns through the whole season, and during a freeze event they run from first light until dark.
Most jobs do not stop at one service. Roof Snow Removal in Scranton often runs alongside ice dam removal in Scranton, and both get written into one scope rather than billed as separate visits.
Active leak right now? Our 24/7 Scranton steam ice dam removal crews are dispatched first during a freeze event. Call (888) 561-9664.
