This can cause major problems for schools hospitals and all other commercial and industrial buildings.
If snow doesnt melt on roof.
Pay attention to the forecast.
What should i do if water gets in anyway.
Ice dams are created when melting snow on a roof doesn t entirely flow off into the gutters.
Sprinkle a chemical.
Melting ice using chemicals or heat 1.
These are also called deicing cables and they can be.
Water trapped by these ice dams will travel between shingles or under soffits eventually appearing as water dripping.
Check outside pipes for leaks and damage.
Because the snow is melting from a heat loss on your roof and not because of warming temperatures the melted snow can refreeze once it travels from your roof creating ice dams that appear as icicles on the eaves and gutters.
Install heat cables to melt the snow at the edge of the roof.
How snow melts or doesn t melt off of your roof is a great way to examine your attic and roof insulation as well as your home s ventilation.
If your roof gets a decent amount of snow on it make sure it s not melting in specific spots.
Snow problems on flat roofs while all roofs get snowed on sloped roofs like you see on houses are usually pretty good at shedding their load.
Clear your street storm sewer of debris and snow.
Fill pantyhose with sidewalk salt to break up ice at the edge of the roof.
Flat roofs on the other hand tend to simply accumulate snow until it melts.
That means there s heat loss likely due to poor insulation and or ventilation in the attic.
The day after it snows take a walk around your neighborhood and look at your neighbor s roofs.
When the temperature drops the resulting ice blockage creates a dam that will further slow additional melt allowing it to get underneath the roof s shingles and penetrate the protective top layer of your home.