How Does Snow Damage Roofs

Ice dam formation when warm air rises from.

How does snow damage roofs.

Keep a log of correspondence. Monitor snowfall some storms drop huge quantities of snow on your roof. When this happens melting snow water cannot run off the roof and ends up backing up and causing leaks. The good news is despite the harsh effect winter weather can have on your flat roof there are several preventative measures to take in order to avoid significant damages.

The capacity of the roof to withhold the heaviness of the snow and rise unscathed from a freezing winter spell of heavy snow will entirely depend upon the quality of the materials and products used also to a degree the workmanship. When heavy snow sits up there it weighs down your roof and the moisture fights its way into crevices freezing and expanding until you have deep cracks that lead to an annoying water problem. Average snow not wet or fluffy weighs 15 pounds per cubic foot. Every year snow build up on roofs is a major cause of damage to both the shingles and to the roof deck underneath.

The longer a roof sits with damage the more weather and dirt makes it less obvious what the damage is since it looks like wear and tear says severaid. Snowy roofs often cause large ridges of ice or ice dams at the edge of roofs or gutters. If you live in the us our snow load calculator compares the total weight on your roof with the permissible load calculated according to the standards issued by the american society of civil engineers regarding the minimum design loads for buildings and other structures asce7 16. The answer unfortunately is yes.

If left untreated this damage can cause rust or mold which of course you do not want. Winter can be especially harsh on a house s roof and it s almost never a good idea to simply wait for spring before addressing the issues that the presence of snow and ice on your roof can cause. Ice dams are the single largest cause of snow damage to roofs and shingles. Before the first snow even falls create an emergency plan for dealing with winter storms.

This roofing tutor article looks at causes and concerns of ice dams and snow. Five of the main winter roof damage problems that homeowners should be aware of are listed below along with some advice on how to best manage them. As a general rule snow can damage a pitched or flat roof extreme weather can cause premature ageing.