The local factors behind ice dam prevention in Hamilton
Two houses on the same Hamilton street, built the same year, can need completely different ice dam prevention work — and usually do.
Post-war subdivisions across Halton share the same construction generation, so when one street starts showing the same defect, the neighbours usually follow within a couple of seasons.
Air-sealing and window upgrades have made Hamilton homes far tighter than they were designed to be, and a tight house starves a natural-draft appliance of the make-up air it needs.
Across Flamborough, Strathcona, Dundas, Dundana and Ancaster Heights, the housing stock changes street by street, and the correct method changes with it. A century home with a soft-brick stack does not get the same treatment as a 2010 build with a factory-built vent — using one method on both is how systems get damaged.
If you live anywhere near the Bruce Trail, the practical takeaway is that a ice dam prevention visit should start with an assessment, not a tool. Any crew that begins work before telling you what they found is guessing on your behalf.