Here is
an article written by Keith Paul, founder of HandyPro Handyman Service:
With snow piling up on my roof I am afraid it
might do damage or worse yet cave in. What can I do?
This week, I have talked to many people with this same concern. The fact is, snow along with ice could cause roof damage. The threat of collapse is a very low probability, but possible. As I stated in my Feb. 10, 2010 article “Preventing ice dams,” sometimes snow can weigh up to 30 pounds per square foot. On a 1500-square-foot house with a roof surface area of 1600 square feet, that’s 48,000 pounds or more on your roof! Some roofs aren’t built to withstand that amount of weight. The weight of a large amount of snow and ice can also cause damage to your gutters and downspouts.
The damage mostly occurs when the
snow melts and refreezes underneath the snow where it meets the shingles. Snow
melts because of the heat from the attic, then drains to the gutters and
refreezes. Now, the water and ice accumulates and works back up the roof
growing underneath the shingles causing damage, and in many cases melts into
the house.
Using a roof rake will help you
alleviate some of the stress on both you and your roof. A roof rake is a solid
piece of metal or plastic about 16 to 20 inches wide on the end of an extension
pole, which allows you to rake or pull snow off the roof. They can be purchased
at most local hardware stores. Remove as much snow as possible from the top of
the roof down toward the gutters. About 10 to 15 feet should be sufficient.
Never remove the snow while on top of the roof. For obvious reasons, it is a
slippery slope and snow isn’t as soft as you think to land in.
Apply calcium chloride to all ice in
gutters and down spouts. Do not use sodium chloride (rock salt) or table salt,
it can cause damage to your landscape greenery. I’ve seen homeowners insert
calcium chloride into panty hose and lay them inside the gutters, it was
successful to remove the ice. To apply, I recommend tossing it up into the
gutters. It sounds funny, but it really is the best way.
There is controversy over whether or
not to use a ladder when removing the snow. I believe it is much safer not to
use a ladder because when the ice and snow melts, it can accumulate on the
rungs of the ladder and refreeze in minutes. This is definitely a slippery and
hazardous situation. You can easily fall and get seriously hurt.
Lastly, if your home continually has
a problem with ice damming, have a professional handyman check your home for proper roof
ventilation and insulation. You may consider having heat tape installed in
those problem areas along your roof then you’d be able to melt the ice with a
flick of a switch. Heat tape is a low temp electrical cord that is normally
placed along the perimeter of the roof, in the roof valleys and in the gutters
and downspouts to keep the water moving during the frigid winter months. It
should be installed by a professional.
Keith Paul
is a State of Michigan Licensed
Builder and president and founding member of
Nationally franchised HandyPro Handyman Service. The growing company has over a dozen
independently owned location in the US.
Collin
Dickey owns HandyPro Handyman Service in the Twin Cities area, St
Paul, Minneapolis
and surrounding neighborhoods.