A Cincinnati roofer has to deal with a lot of damage that comes from a lot of snow and ice buildup during the winter months. From ice dams to storm damage, letting the snow just sit up there is a bad idea. There are three common things that happen when you don’t bother cleaning the snow buildup off your roof.
1) Damage your shingles
Leaving the snow and ice on your roof all winter will give a Cincinnati roofer a job come spring: repairing your shingles. Excess water on your roof, from the snow melting and refreezing over and over again, inevitably gets under your roof membrane. The first row of shingles from the eaves is the most vulnerable. Moisture that gets under them can spread up the roof, disrupting your membrane and warping other shingles as it goes.
To prevent damage to your shingles and your gutters, you can do two things. First, regularly scrape off your roof’s edges with a roof rake. Next, remember to only use a roof rake. Other methods of clearing ice, like an ax, chop into your roof and end up doing more harm than good.
2) Weigh down your roof
The sheer weight of snow and ice can give a Cincinnati roofer a busy day. Consistently bearing too much weight can result in sagging roofs. While many Cincinnati buildings are built to handle the weather that comes their way, you can never be too careful.
Raking your roof will prevent the buildup of snow. If you have chronic snow buildup, contact Cincinnati roofers to see if the slope of your roof is to blame. Altering the slope of a roof is a major project, but it can be done. If you find yourself with chronic problems with snow and ice weighing down your roof, see if there’s something you can do to help gravity do its job.
3) Form ice dams and complications
Ice dams occur when melted snow runs to the eaves and refreezes. Over time, the many layers of water
build up into thick ridges of ice around your roof. With nowhere for the melting snow to go, the water piles up on your roof. This accelerates the two problems above. Weight and stress on your shingles increase when it’s impossible for the runoff to go anywhere.
If you can’t break through with your roof rake, call a professional Cincinnati roofer for help. As an alternative, there are a couple of products that will help out. Roofmelt is one brand of an ice dam melter. Designed to melt the ice dam and prevent damage to your roof. Easy to use, simply toss the tablets on the effected areas of the roof and let the tablets do the work. Hot Sok, is a 24″ bag full of de-icer, designed to prevent damage to roofs from ice dams by placing 1 hot sok on every 5′ of the problem area & it begins to work within the hour, there are no long term adverse effects to the roof or surrounding area.
Ice dams are a fairly serious emergency. Ice dams can actually cause your gutters and downspouts to fall from the weight involved. If you did not have your gutters cleaned in the fall, you have all of those leaves to help form a dam.
You can help prevent ice dams by ensuring that your attic isn’t leaking heat. The heat will melt the snow on your roof, but the cold air at the edge of the roof will freeze it again. Insulating your attic will go a long way.
Snow and ice on your roof just lead to compounding problems. Keep your roof rake on hand for regular scraping. Keep the weight low on your roof, keep moisture away from your shingles, and prevent ice dams before they begin. If anything goes wrong, a Cincinnati roofer can set it right.
