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Roofing tips for Winter months
Winter is tough on roofs in New England
To avoid any leaking issues, here are some helpful tips:
To avoid any leaking issues, here are some helpful tips:
- If you a have fairly flat roof pitch, you may want to rake, shovel, or remove standing snow after heavy snows. A foot of snow or more on your roof can cause weight problems, but most likely will turn to ice after a few days, which is problematic as it causes ice damming. Ice damming is a phenomenon wherein snow, melting into water, runs down the roof to the soffitt/edge, and refreezes. This in turn causes a heavy ice layer to form upwards, blocking any future melting from running off of the roof. The water will defy gravity, and run uphill, backing up under the shingles, old or new. Note: If you intend on raking your roof, it is best to do this while on the ground, and never chop at the roof surface, as it will cause mechanical damage to frozen shingles. If you must access the roof by ladders, windows, etc. please use safety precautions. If you can only partially rake the roof from the ground, this may cause ice dams to start at the end line of your raking point, so sometimes it is best to either rake the entire surface, or not at all. Ice dams at the soffitt level are less likely to leak inside, but an ice dam in the middle of the roof will almost certainly leak to the interior attic, and finished areas possibly.
- If the snow on the North facing roof surface of your home melts off within a few days, even though the temps are still at or below freezing, this may be an indication that you have a lack of proper attic insulation depth. The attic insulation lays on top of the ceiling below (the attic floor) and prevents the heat from inside your home to escape upward and outward. You should try and achieve the highest R-value number you possibly can, within space and budget restrictions. Typically today, new homes in the Northeast will average anywhere between R-44 and R-60. This translates to at least 10-25 standing inches of insulation.
- If you do find ice has formed in a heavy crust/layer at the edges of your roof, and you are worried about ice damming DO NOT chop or strike the ice in any way, as it will damage the roofing surfaces underneath. It is best to treat these areas with ice melt (use asphalt safe products as shingles may be asphalt based) Just sprinkle some over the trailing edge of the ice formation to allow channels for water to flow under the ice and off the roof.
