Many homeowners across Utah love the state’s snowy winters. Whether they enjoy snowboarding, skiing, sledding, or snowshoeing, Utah winters provide residents with plenty of opportunities to spend the season outdoors. However, while you’re spending the winter enjoying this weather, snow and ice pose a significant risk to your roof.
At Lifetime Roofing, we understand that many Utahns appreciate the snowfall the state experiences every year. However, if you haven’t adequately prepared your home for winter, you may experience unexpected damage to your roof, that can be costly and frustrating to repair. If you want to learn how snow and ice can damage your roof, and how to avoid it this winter, keep reading.
How Snow Can Damage Your Roof?
Your roof is designed to be incredibly strong, acting as the first line of defense against regular weather conditions. However, as strong as your roof may be, exposure to snowfall can leave a lasting impact on the surface. If you live in a location that receives frequent snowfall, this regular snowfall can add significant weight to the surface.
On average, snow can weigh 5.2 pounds per foot or just over 26 pounds per square foot. While this might not seem like much, this means that a 1,700-square-foot roof may experience up to 8,000 extra pounds of weight from one foot of snowfall. In places where the temperature isn’t warm enough to melt this snow, you may notice several feet of snow collecting on your roof over the season.
Although your roof can support a significant amount of additional weight, excessive weight from snow may result in sagging, cracking, or collapse. This excessive weight and subsequent damage can lead to leaks, pest presence in your home, and structural damage to your home, making it essential that you clear snow whenever possible to keep your space safe.
How Ice Can Damage Your Roof?
Ice can significantly damage your roof, especially in colder climates where heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures are common. When ice accumulates on your roof, it can form ice dams, which occur when melting snow refreezes at the roof’s edge. These ice dams block proper drainage, causing water to back up under the shingles, potentially leading to leaks and water damage inside your home.
Additionally, the weight of the ice itself can strain the roofing materials, leading to cracks or even structural damage over time. As temperatures fluctuate, the repeated freezing and thawing cycles can make the problem much worse, causing the roofing materials to expand and contract, weakening them, and making them more susceptible to damage.
This process can loosen shingles, creating gaps where water can infiltrate, and lead to the growth of mold and mildew. Ice can also damage gutters and downspouts, as the added weight can cause them to sag or detach from the house, increasing the risk of water damage. Proactive maintenance and removal of ice build-up are crucial to protect your roof from these potential hazards.
How to Avoid Damage from Snow and Ice
If you want to avoid damage to your roof as a result of the buildup of snow and ice, there are a few things you can do to keep it safe. Some of the easiest ways to prevent snow and ice damage include:
Schedule Roof Inspections
One of the easiest ways to avoid damage from snow and ice is to schedule regular roof inspections with a trusted roofing company. It is best to schedule these inspections at the start of fall. By scheduling ahead of time, you can avoid their busiest season, as winter approaches. Scheduling in advance will also allow them adequate time to perform any necessary repairs before the colder, wet winter weather arrives.
Clear Gutters Before Winter
If you want to avoid water backing up in your gutters, leading to improper drainage during snowstorms and damage from snow and ice, it is essential that you clear these before the season arrives. Make sure any decomposing organic materials and other debris in your gutters are removed to ensure melting snow and ice can flow through the gutters properly, preventing the development of ice dams.
Invest in Snow Removal Tools
While many of the ways to protect your roof from damage as a result of snow and ice occur before winter begins, there are some things you can do during the season to keep your roof safe. It is important that you invest in snow removal tools, like a snow rake. This tool can help you pull excessive snow off of your roof, alleviating any weight that the roof may otherwise experience.
Prepare for Winter Weather with Lifetime Roofing
When you want to prepare your roof for winter weather, it is essential that you work with a reliable roofing company in your area. If you’re looking for a reliable roofing company in the Layton, Salt Lake City, or Park City area, our team at Lifetime Roofing is here to support you. With years of experience helping homeowners prepare their roofs for winter, our team is the perfect choice for your home as well.
In addition to helping homeowners prepare for winter weather, our team can also help you address and remedy damage from snow and ice. If you would like to schedule an appointment to inspect your roof ahead of winter weather or if you would like to schedule repairs as a result of snow and ice, don’t hesitate to contact our team today.