THE EFFECTS OF SNOW AND ICE ON YOUR ROOF

As a homeowner it’s important to know that some of the most powerful elements can do serious damage to your roof over time.  Winter elements make your roof extremely vulnerable and it is important to know what you can do to protect it.  Let’s take a look at what ice and snow can do to your roof.

1.  Freeze and Thaw

Cracks in your shingles can become more evident as the accumulation of snow and ice builds. The smallest cracks can cause your roof to be vulnerable water saturation.  Leaks typically come from the water penetration into your shingles and to its underlayment.  Even if the water penetration doesn’t cause leaking but freezes instead, the cracks in your shingles will have no choice but to expand much larger which ultimately cause them to move and be even more vulnerable to leaks.

2. Ice Dams

As ice accumulates on your roof, ice dams start to form.  Ice damming is the combination of ice and snow melting then flowing down the roof and freezing at the edge of your roof.  Ice dams cause serious gutter issues, and even cause the flashing on your roof to tear.

3.  Stress

Yes – as humans we stress, but so does your roof.  Heavy weight of snow and ice causes stress to your roof which can eventually cause it cave.  When water from rain flows to the lowest point of your roof, the combination with low temperatures below freezing start to form large ice blocks.  As you can imagine, large ice blocks increase the weight and stress which can cause higher risks of caving.