Tips for Safely Removing Snow from Your Billings Roofing
‘Tis the season for snow in the Billings area, and if you’re like most homeowners you will probably have a pretty significant snow buildup on top of your home. In most cases this is fine and the snow will melt naturally throughout the winter between storms, but on occasion the snowfall can be heavy enough that you need to get up there and clear it off to prevent damage to your roof or the surrounding property. When that happens it’s critical that you follow some important safety tips.
1. Don’t Do it Unless it’s Necessary
Your Billings roofing should be designed to hold a pretty significant amount of snow, and a couple of feet of snow is not usually enough to require that you get up there and remove it from the roof. The only time that you should be worried about it is in cases where you think there could be an imminent danger of roof collapse. Listen for loud popping or creaking noises, watch the doors and windows in your home for signs of collapse (a door or window that suddenly won’t open), or visible sagging that you can see from the exterior of the home. If you don’t have these signs, you’re probably okay to leave the snow and see if it will melt naturally.
2. Use Proper Safety Equipment
A roof is a dangerous place to be generally speaking, since it’s steep and high off the ground, but it becomes even more dangerous when the cold weather and snow turn it into a literal slippery slope. Before you get up on the roof, make sure you have the proper safety equipment to avoid falls. If you don’t have safety equipment, don’t get up there—wait for a professional to come and help. Also make sure you wait until the storm has subsided, as stormy conditions can exacerbate the danger.
3. Hire a Professional
If you absolutely must remove snow from your roof during the winter months, it might be a good idea to hire a professional Billings roofing contractor to come and help. The should have all the necessary safety tools to safely get on the roof, plus with their expertise they will know which areas are most at risk and can remove the critical snow first.
If you have an aging roof or one that you think is particularly dangerous, it’s even better to call a Billings roofing contractor before the big storms hit to come and reinforce your structure so you can avoid problems during the worst of the winter weather.
