How Heavy Snow Can Damage Your Roof
During Montana winters there are a lot of things that snow can cause, including accidents on the roadways, slips on the sidewalks, and more. But did you know that the snow that builds up on your roofing in Billings, MT can also be a potential danger?
Snow Buildup Weighs on Your Roof
Significant amounts of snow on the roof can be very heavy, especially when combined with rain and sleet that come as weather begins to warm up toward spring. As little as two feet of snow on the roof of an average home can weigh as much as 30,000-40,000 pounds, which puts stress on everything from the shingles to the structure supporting the roof. If you have a lot of snow buildup on your Billings roofing, rather than try to get up there yourself to remove the snow, contact a professional roofing company to discuss safe options and avoid roof collapse.
Jammed Gutters Lead to Damage
Getting on your roof or on a ladder in the middle of a snowstorm is never a good idea for safety reasons, but when you know a storm is on the way, you may want to see if you can check your gutters to make sure they aren’t clogged with ice. Ice that builds up inside gutter systems can prevent the proper flow of water from your Billings roofing into your yard, where it is channeled away from your home.
If ice has built up in the gutters, water might instead flow over and onto walkways and near the foundation of your home, which can lead to dangerous and slippery walkways, as well as potential damage to your foundation and flooding in your basement. Before you attempt to remove ice, make sure you can do it safely. If you don’t have the equipment to get up there and remove the ice on your own, call a professional to help.
Ice Dams Can Damage Your Roof
Warm air rising from your home often causes snow at the peak of the roof to melt, only to have it re-freeze when it reaches the colder outer edges of the roof and gutters, which causes ice dams. This constant ice sitting on your Billings roofing can damage shingles and even seep into the attic where it damages insulation, causes mold and mildew growth, and leads to water damage on walls and ceilings.
Check your roof often and listen and watch for obvious signs that your roof might have a problem so you can catch small issue before they become significant repairs.
