How can snow and ice affect the roof of your home?

July 20, 2023 | Uncategorized | Comments (0)

The roof of your home is exposed to all the forces of nature throughout the year. In the summer, it is exposed to the heat and rays of the sun. During winter, it is exposed to cold wind, rain, hail, snow, and ice. But given that you live in regions like Edmonton, Beaumont, Sherwood Park, St. Albert, or Leduc, you are bound to experience extensive snowfall during winter. Snowfall can wreak havoc on the roof of your home, and unless you prepare the roof of your home for winter, you will notice clear signs of leakage and roof damage. You must clean the gutters and clean the roof to prepare it for winter. This will ensure that there is no leakage and the roof is ready for winter. Snow and ice can adversely affect the roof of your house, and once winter sets in, you cannot do much to protect the roof.

Snow and ice affect the roof

Some of the ways that snow and ice can affect the roof of your home are as follows:

1. Create stress that can damage the roof

Accumulation of snow and ice on the roof can create stress that can damage the roof. Snow can appear to be falling off or sliding off the roof. But continuous snowfall can cause the snow to get collected on the roof. This compacted snow can get collected on the gutters.  It can also get collected on the edges and even on the flat surfaces of the roof. If you have any shingles lose, then the snow will get caught on the cracks of these shingles. According to expert roofers, some of the stress damage that snow can cause to the roof of your home is as follows:

  • If snow is allowed to accumulate on the roof for a prolonged period, it creates an added weight. This can lead to structural damage and can even lead to cracks in the roof.
  • If you do not remove the snow from the roof, it can cause leakage as the snow can melt and seep into the roof. This can happen, especially if the tiles or shingles on the roof are loose. Therefore, roofers insist that you should get the roof of your home thoroughly evaluated for any snow or ice damage once winter is over.
  • When the temperature drops below the freezing point, even without snowfall, there is an accumulation of ice on the roof. This can create an added weight on the roof.
  • As a result of the added pressure, sections of the roof can cave in. You can easily avoid this by removing the ice and snow even during winter.

To prevent any structural damage to the roof and ensure that the roof’s integrity is maintained, it is essential to ensure that there is no added stress or pressure to the roof.  You can easily ensure this by removing the ice and snow from the roof. As per expert roofers, you should hire ice and snow removing services to do this professionally.

2. Ice dams also cause roof damage.

This happens when water flowing off the roof gets accumulated at the edge of the roof and then freezes. Ice dams are common occurrences during the end of winter. Sometimes at the end of winter, as the ice and snow thaws, it can flow down the roof. However, sometimes there is a sudden temperature change, and the water freezes at the edge of the roof, creating an ice dam. This can damage the gutter that runs across the roof’s edge and prevent the snow from falling off the edge of the roof. This can lead to an increased weight on the roof and clogging of the gutters further. As a result, the structure of the roof can get affected. You will find that ice dams can even tear off sections of the roof. This can result in significant roof damage, and for that, you need to ensure that there is no formation of ice dams on the edge of the roof of your home.

3. Ice can cause cracks to appear on the roof.

If ice accumulates on the roof, it can cause cracks to appear on the roof. Ice can create pressure on the roof that can cause the shingles to loosen and create cracks. If water seeps into the cracks, it can widen the cracks and make these even more prominent. Sometimes water can seep into the crack can freeze in it. This can widen the cracks even further. If this happens can create a significant break in the roof, and a section of the roof can cave in. The primary reason for this is that stress created by ice can lead to increased pressure, and the structure on which the roof has been built will not be able to take the extra pressure. Thus, it is essential to remove the ice from the roof and prevent further accumulation of it.

4. Hire professional service to remove ice or snow from the roof

When you plan on removing ice and snow from the roof, you must hire professional roofing services to do it. The primary reason for this is that you will not have the necessary equipment or the expertise to remove the ice or snow. If you do not do it carefully, then the shingles of your roof can get damaged. Expert roofers mention that the roof’s gutters can also get damaged if the snow and the ice dams are not removed carefully. This can lead to significant additional expenses.

If you live in Edmonton, Beaumont, Sherwood Park, St. Albert, or Leduc and are looking for roofing services, consider giving us a call at Best Top Roofing, 780-710-9990. We assure you that our numerous roofing services are bound to meet your expectations, and all our services will be within your budget. You can also check out the services we provide by visiting our company’s website: Besttoproofing.ca/. So, if you are looking for any roofing service, give us a call right away.

Reference URL

www.kodiakroofingcompany.com