The ice along a roof in Gilletteline is the symptom. The cause is warm air escaping into the attic, and it is still running right now. As part of our complete Gillette winter roof services, crews handle commercial ice dam removal across Campbell County.
Sun on Cold Snow: The Gillette Pattern
Thin air at altitude means intense direct sun even in deep cold. A Gillette roof can be melting on its south face at midday in air that never gets near freezing, and all of that water has to go somewhere.
Depth makes it worse. A Campbell County roof can carry several feet of pack, and all of that is a reservoir sitting above an eave that never sees sun.
Ice-barrier practice in Campbell County
Design snow loads up here are among the highest in the country, and the membrane and retention details that come with them are not paperwork. On an older Gillette cabin neither is likely to be present.
Commercial Ice Dam Removal in Gillette: How The Work Runs
Internal drains fail differently from gutters
A residential gutter overflows when it blocks. An internal roof drain just stops, and the water stays on the deck at depth until it finds a seam, a flashing detail or a pitch pocket.
Crews open the drain throat and then confirm flow in the leader below before calling it clear. An open drain over a frozen leader is not an open drain, and on a Gillette building that distinction shows up as a tenant ceiling two floors down.
Membrane-safe means something specific
EPDM, TPO and modified bitumen all tolerate steam at low pressure and none of them tolerate chipping, scraping or a pressure washer. Crews steam the drains and scuppers open first to restore flow, then work the ponded ice, and they stay off seams and flashing details with the lance.
Mechanical units, conduit runs, solar racking and safety railing all get worked around rather than over.
Roof warranties and who is allowed up there
Most commercial membranes carry a manufacturer's warranty with conditions about who may work on the roof and what methods are permitted. Snow removal is generally fine; mechanical ice removal very often is not, and the wrong contractor with the wrong tool can void cover worth considerably more than the clearing.
The warranty gets read before the roof is walked, and the method used is one the document permits.
Flat roofs fail differently
A pitched residential roof dams at the eave. A commercial deck dams at its drainage: frozen scuppers, iced-over internal drains, and ponding that refreezes into a sheet across the low spots. Water then sits on the membrane at depth, finds a seam or a flashing detail, and comes through into the tenant space below.
Parapet walls make it worse by holding the melt on the deck instead of letting it run off an edge. By the time it shows up as a ceiling tile stain in a Gillette unit, there is usually standing water up there.
Insulation above the deck changes the melt pattern
A modern commercial assembly puts most of its insulation above the deck, so very little building heat reaches the membrane. That is good for energy and it means the snow that lands mostly stays - the roof does not self-clear the way an under-insulated one does.
Where dams do form on those roofs it is almost always at a thermal bridge: a parapet, a curb, a drain bowl or a line of fasteners. Those are the spots crews work first.
What you get in Gillette
- Overnight windows availableWork scheduled outside occupancy where access demands it
- Tenant-hours schedulingWork windows set around occupancy and access
- Drains and scuppers firstFlow restored before the ponded ice is worked
| Documentation | Dated before and after photos, written scope in Xactimate line items |
|---|---|
| Service | Commercial Ice Dam Removal in Gillette, WY |
| Typical scope | Steam, 8-16 crew hours typical |
| Primary climate stressor | Solar melt on deep pack, shaded eaves |
| Coverage area | Gillette and Campbell County |
| Pricing model | Billed by the crew hour, rate quoted before dispatch |
| Removal method | Low-pressure steam only. No chipping, salt or pressure washing. |
Gillette Coverage and the Adjoining Communities
Crews working Gillette cover the adjoining communities on the same route — Rozet — so a storm week usually means one truck handling several addresses in Campbell County rather than separate trips.
Nearest hub towns with their own commercial ice dams pages: Sheridan, Douglas, Casper, Powell, Riverton, Cody.
When a storm hits Campbell County, crews are dispatched by severity rather than by call order — water already inside the house goes first.
Most jobs do not stop at one service. Commercial Ice Dams in Gillette often runs alongside commercial roof snow removal in Gillette, and both get written into one scope rather than billed as separate visits.
Active leak right now? Our 24/7 Gillette steam ice dam removal crews are dispatched first during a freeze event. Call (888) 561-9664.
