All of us in the tristate know what it is like to live with all four seasons – sometimes all in one day. Just last week the snow we accumulated melted away and golf courses reopened their ranges for play! The following day we were met with 3 inches of the white stuff to battle on our morning commutes. While historically we don’t get feet upon feet of snow, we do get slammed with ice, sleet, and the white stuff usually on top of that. How does this affect your roof and the structure holding up the hat to your home?
Accumulated snow on your roof can create hazardous situations for you and your home. Here are a few things to remember when addressing snow on your roof this year:
Heavy amounts of fallen snow on your roof can create multiple issues:
- Snow and ice cascading from a sloped roof can strike a person or animal, causing injury
- Flat roofs are particularly susceptible to collapse under heavy wet snow
- Blocked chimneys and vents can trap deadly carbon monoxide without proper ventiliation
- Ice dams form and cause water damage in roof edges and gutters, rotting wood in the spring or any time the snow melts
Keep an open eye for warning signs
Knowing the signs of stress to your roof early in the emergency will allow you time to call a professional for an emergency inspection:
- Hanging or sagging ridgelines
- Sagging ceilings
- Water stains on the insides of walls and ceilings
- Doors that no longer close or open properly
- Cracks on the walls near the center of your home, visible by the naked eye
- Cracking and creaking noises you didn’t hear last year
All these are signs that the home has sustained damage and the clock is ticking on its repairs. You can always give Titan Siding and Roofing a call to learn more about inspections and what the proper course of action would be to get repairs underway as soon as possible to deter further damage.
Avoid the mounds of snow in the begining
Trying to get rid of all the fallen snow on your roof is a hazardous job for any homeowner to take on themselves. Avoid injury to your back and home by hiring a professional to clear the snow and fix any problems before it can lead to property damage and costly repairs. Here are some ways to prep your home and be ready for anything:
- Have a professional clean ice dams and snow from the roof.
- Avoid using salt or chemical snow-melt products to melt ice on the roof. These can erode shingles and gutters and potentially void the roofing manufacturer’s warranty.
- Add insulation to your attic to help prevent your home’s warm air from escaping into unheated attic spaces. Ice dams form when warmed attic air melts a layer of snow on the roof. This melting snow slides down the roof and refreezes on unheated overhangs and gutters. Do not attempt to “chip away” the ice formed by an ice dam as that may lead to shingle damage.
- If replacing your home’s roof, have a self-sealing membrane installed under the shingles to help prevent water damage from ice dams.
- On metal roofs, install snow guards above entrances.
If your home suffers damage this winter, don’t forget that some of the damage could be covered by your insurance company. Have the experts at Titan come take a look and perform an inspection to determine the scope of any damage and assist you with deciding if it is an insurance claim situation.
