Archive for the ‘Snow & Ice’ Category
Ice Dam Prevention
Ice Dam Prevention
Cold winter weather means snow for much of the country, and snow on your roof brings the potential of ice dams forming. Ice dams can not only cause serious damage to your roof, but also to interior walls, ceilings and floors. Keeping an eye out for ice dam formation throughout the winter months can help you avoid expensive repairs or a total roof replacement, but there are steps you can take to help prevent ice dam formation.
Ice dams are caused by snow melting on the main, warm area of your roof and re-freezing when it reaches the cooler eaves at the edge of your roof. Water backs up behind the ice dam, seeps under your shingles and enters your home.
Sometimes snowmelt is unavoidable. Warm weather, especially with bright sunshine, will warm the roof and cause the snow to melt no matter what you do, but the other main cause of warm roof is a warm attic. Heat loss from the heated space in your home into your attic can warm up the roof enough to cause the snow over the main part of the roof to melt.
Additional attic insulation and proper ventilation can help keep your attic cooler and avoid damage from ice dams. Adding a layer of insulation to your attic will not only help avoid ice dams, it will also lower your utility bills. You should also seal up any other avenues for warm air leaks into the attic such as around pipes, electrical junction boxes, and attic access panels.
Proper attic ventilation allows cold outside air to enter the attic while colder air escapes. Randomly installing attic vents will usually not help and can even make the situation worse. You should have a reputable roofer design and install a good attic ventilation system.
Ice and Water Shield
Ice and Water Shield
Before installing the shingles on your roof, your roofing contractor will install a layer of underlayment, often called felt paper or tar paper. This underlayment provides an extra layer of protection by preventing small amounts of water that intrudes under the shingles from reaching the wood deck.
To provide even more protection from water penetration, your roofer will use a special type of underlayment called ice and water shield around the lower edge of the roof deck or anywhere that leaks commonly form. Ice and water shield is especially important in areas of the country where ice dams can form near the eaves and cause water to back up under the shingles.
Low slope roofs can also benefit from ice and water shield because they are more susceptible to water being driven up under the shingles by high winds. Felt paper is nailed in place, but ice and water shield has a sticky backing. When applied to a dry wood deck, the sticky backing holds the ice and water shield firmly in place to help prevent snow and ice roof damage.
When felt paper is nailed into place or when it is penetrated by nails holding the shingles in place, leaks can form around the nail hole. Ice and water shield is a flexible rubbery substance that forms a tight seal around roofing nails that are driven through it when the shingles are nailed into place. Even if water backs up under your shingles due to an ice dam or from wind driven rain, ice and water shield will prevent the water from leaking into your home.
Watch Out For Ice Dams
Watch Out For Ice Dams
It’s that time of year again when homeowners with asphalt shingle roofs need to be vigilant for the formation of ice dams on their roofs. Even if ice dams have never been a problem on your roof in the past, you should keep a sharp eye out and take remedial measures if you spot ice dams forming.
Formation of ice dams depends on many different factors including the construction of your home, but one factor you can’t control is the weather. Some homes have ice dam formation problems every year, but others may go for years without significant ice dam formation until suddenly the right weather pattern results in ice dam formation.
Ice dams form due to a cycle of melting and refreezing of the snow on your roof. In the right conditions, snow over the main portion of your roof melts and the water flows to the edge of the roof where it should be collected by the gutters and directed safely away from your home. However, sometimes the water doesn’t make it to the gutter.
Instead, it refreezes along the lower edge of your roof. This area, also called the eave, is usually colder than the rest of your roof because it sticks out over the edge of your warm home into the cold air. As the ice accumulates in this area, if forms and ice dam and water begins to accumulate behind it. This water accumulation then backs up under your shingles where it can enter your home and cause serious damage to interior walls, ceilings and floors.
Avoid expensive ice damage repairs to your home by keeping an eye out for ice dam formation. If you see ice dams forming, call a local roofing contractor right away.
Watch for Roof Snow Accumulation
Watch for Roof Snow Accumulation
Many parts of the country have already had their first snow fall and much of the rest of us are not far behind. It sure looks pretty, but all that snow on your roof can be a cause for concern. Generally speaking, when a new home is built, the roof is designed to handle the expected snowfall from the normal snow patterns in that area. Areas that typically have heavier snow fall will have steeper roofs to help the snow slide off of the roof before it gets too heavy.
However, in recent years climate change has caused some unusual weather throughout the country. Some areas are seeing more snow than ever before while others don’t get quite as much. Roofs designed before snow patterns changed and those built recently but based on older snow fall data may be not quite steep enough for current snow conditions.
Too much snow on your roof can damage the roof, particularly if the structure is not designed to hold that much weight. Heavy wet snow or snow that partially melts and refreezes followed by more snow can overload even a properly designed roof.
A moderate amount of snow on the roof usually will not cause much of a problem, but it is a good idea to get heavy snow off the roof before it causes snow and ice damage. You can try carefully using a roof shovel to get the snow off from the ground, but if climbing on the roof will be necessary you should call a professional roofing contractor. A snow covered roof is very slippery and a good roofing contractor has the experience needed to do the job safely and without damaging your roof.
Safe Snow Removal
Safe Snow Removal
Most of the time, snow accumulations on your roof are not much of a problem. Most homes have pitched roofs designed to shed snow and that can bear the weight of any snow that will accumulate. However, in some circumstances too much snow accumulation can be cause for concern. This is especially true for heavy, wet snow or snow that partially melt and refreezes, then accumulates more snow.
It is a good idea to remove heavy snow accumulations from your roof before they cause any damage. When it comes to roof snow removal, personal safety should be your first concern. Don’t climb onto your roof unless you are sure it is safe to do so.
Your next concern is not to damage the roof while removing snow. Using an ordinary snow shovel on the roof is not a good idea. It is very easy to damage your shingles with a snow shovel, especially when the shingles are cold and brittle. In addition to breaking a shingle, scraping the protective ceramic granules off of the shingles will quickly cause the shingle to deteriorate and the roof will soon fail.
If you are going to do the job yourself, the best method is to carefully use a roof rake. These are long handled rakes designed to be used safely from the ground. Start at the edges of the roof and work your way up. Be careful not to stand under where the snow will fall off the edge of the roof. Ice chunks can be hidden in the snow that can cause a serious injury.
The best way to remove snow accumulation from your roof is to call a professional roofers or snow removal contractor. They have the experience and equipment to get the job done safely.
Removing Snow From Your Roof
Removing Snow From Your Roof
A heavy layer of snow on your roof can cause serious damage. The roof and the supporting structure are designed to hold a certain amount of weight and if too much snow and ice accumulates, the roof can collapse. This is especially true for older roofs that may have been weakened over the years by water damage to the roof deck or supporting structure.
The safest way to remove the snow from your roof is to use a snow rake. These are special rakes designed with very long handles so you can rake the snow off the roof while standing safely on the ground. Each type of snow rake has its own technique, but essentially you start at the lower parts of the roof, rake off a patch of snow, then work your way up the roof.
If you do it right, gravity will do most of the work. Be sure not to rake the snow all the way down to the shingles. Leave a couple inches of snow on the roof. Scraping the shingles with the rake can cause serious damage, especially to composition asphalt shingles. Since the goal is to remove some weight from the roof, keep in mind that you don’t have to get all of the snow off the roof. Removing some of it is usually good enough.
If your roof is too high for a roof rake, you should call a snow removal service or a local Lincoln roofing contractor. Don’t try to climb on the roof with a shovel. Shoveling a slippery roof is hazardous and best left to professionals.
Ice and Water Shield
Ice and Water Shield
As spring approaches, many homes without adequate roof ice and water shield protection will suffer roof damage from melting snow and ice. During the warmer days of late winter and early spring, the sun and the heat from your home causes the snow and ice over the main part of your roof to melt. The snowmelt runs down to the colder edge of the roof where it re-freezes causing ice dams to form. Once the ice dam forms, water runoff backs up behind the ice dam and seeps under the shingles.
On roofs without proper ice and water shield protection, the water that penetrates under the shingles causes all sorts of problems. The water causes the wood roof decking and supporting structure to rot and seeps into the house where it causes damage to ceilings, floors and walls. The moisture also provides a great place for mold and mildew to grow.
You can avoid these problems by installing ice and water shield on your roof. This is an extra layer of waterproof underlayment installed along the lower edges of your roof. Ice and water shield is a barrier that prevents water that seeps under the shingles from reaching the wooden roof deck. It provides an additional layer of protection from water along this critical area.
Ice and water shield is typically installed in a horizontal three foot wide strip at the lower edges of your roof, but low slope roofs and those prone to ice dams and water damage in this area should have a wider layer of ice shield. You local Lincoln roofing contractor can advise you on the minimum width of ice and water shield protection for your home.
Eliminate Ice Dams with a Roof Heater
Eliminate Ice Dams with a Roof Heater
Ice dams that form along the edge of your roof in the winter pose a significant risk of damage to your roof. Ice dams form when the snow and ice over the main part of your roof melts due to warm air escaping from your home into your attic. The snow melt refreezes when it reaches the colder edges of your roof and forms an ice dam. As more snow melts, the runoff has nowhere to go and backs up under your shingles.
Once the water backs up under your shingles, it causes all kinds of havoc. The water can enter your attic and find its way into your home causing damage to floors, walls, ceilings and your property. It can also provide a moist environment for mold and mildew to grow and can cause your roof deck to begin rotting.
If the water under the shingles freezes, it will expand and damage the shingles. Almost any type of roofing material can be damaged by ice dams including composition asphalt shingles, tile, slate and cedar.
Some roofs seem to have more trouble with ice dams than others. Often this is due to inadequate attic ventilation or insufficient insulation. If your roof is plagued by ice dams, the best way to prevent them is to install a roof heater. Most roof heaters are electric and are installed along the edges of your roof where the ice dams form. They heat this area enough to prevent the formation of ice dams.
Roof heaters can be installed on almost any type of roof and are generally installed during installation of a new roof although some can be installed on top of existing roofing. Consult your local Chicago roofing contractor for more information about roof heaters and how they can help.
Common Winter Roof Problems
Common Winter Roof Problems
This year, most of the country has seen snow on their roofs. Only Florida has managed to avoid the worst of the winter weather. The rest of us should be aware of common winter roof problems so we can recognize them and take appropriate action to avoid expensive damage to your home.
Roof leaks are common when the weather turns cold. Roofing materials expand and contract with the heat and cold, especially composition asphalt shingles. When shingles contract, small cracks and holes become larger and allow water to intrude under the shingles. When it snows, the heat from your home melts some of the snow and the runoff can find its way into your attic and beyond.
Asphalt shingles are also more brittle during the freezing winter months. Cold brittle shingles combined with gusty winds can break and dislodge shingles. If you notice any shingles missing or broken on your roof, be sure to have a reputable local roofer repair the damage as soon as the weather allows. Once moisture finds its way into your attic, it will start rotting the wood and allowing mold and mildew to grow.
Ice dams often form in winter months which can also cause roof leaks. If your attic is not properly insulated or ventilated, it may allow heat from your home to melt snow on the roof. The runoff freezes at the edge of the roof and the remaining water has nowhere to go. Water backs up behind the ice dam and under your shingles. This water can cause serious damage to your roof and home.
If you suspect ice dams or have any other winter roofing concerns, your local Cincinnati roofing contractor will be happy to help.
