Yeah, chimneys are sneaky trouble spots for sure. I was skeptical at first about needing extra protection around mine—figured the heat alone would handle things—but learned pretty quickly that's not how it works. Had a nasty ice dam form right there my first winter, and let me tell you, chipping ice off shingles in freezing temps isn't fun. Now I'm all about extra barrier layers around the chimney and valleys. Good call mentioning that spot, wish I'd known sooner...would've saved me some numb fingers and frustration.
Yeah, chimneys can definitely catch you off guard. I had a similar issue a few winters back—thought I'd covered all the tricky spots, but totally overlooked the chimney flashing. Didn't realize how quickly ice dams could build up there until I spotted water stains on the ceiling...not a fun discovery.
After that experience, I started making it a habit to run ice barrier at least 2-3 feet around the chimney and down the valleys. First, strip the shingles back around those areas, lay down your ice and water shield nice and flat (no wrinkles or gaps), then reinstall shingles carefully so everything overlaps properly. It's worth taking your time here—rushing can create tiny gaps that cause big headaches later.
One thing I'd add: don't forget about skylights or dormers if you've got them. They can be sneaky troublemakers too. Learned that one the hard way as well.
"One thing I'd add: don't forget about skylights or dormers if you've got them. They can be sneaky troublemakers too."
Haha, ain't that the truth... I thought I was being super thorough last year, but totally spaced on the skylight in our upstairs bathroom. First big thaw and boom—drip, drip, drip right onto the toilet seat. Talk about a rude awakening. Now I'm all about ice barrier around anything that pokes through the roof. Better safe than soggy, right?
Good point about skylights, but honestly, I've found that ice barriers alone aren't always enough. A couple winters back, I had a similar drip-drip situation around my dormer, even though I'd installed ice barrier exactly as recommended. Turned out the real culprit was poor insulation and ventilation in the attic space around it. Once I beefed up the insulation and improved airflow, no more surprise leaks... Sometimes the issue isn't just what's on top, but what's underneath too.
Yeah, ice barrier's great but it can't fix everything. I've seen countless roofs with textbook-perfect ice barriers still leaking because the attic was basically an oven or freezer. Gotta handle ventilation and insulation too, or you're just putting a band-aid on a broken leg...
