Southernwood Roofing and Siding

How to Protect Your Roof from Snow & Ice Damage

Dec 20, 2018

In La Plata, we’re no strangers to snow and ice. And while the season calls for a fair bit of it, and it can be quite pretty to look at, it can also cause quite a bit of trouble if left unchecked. The roofing team at Southernwood Roofing & Siding is here to talk to you about how snow and ice can have an impact on your roof, what the dangers are, and what to do about it!

How Can Snow & Ice Damage Your Roof?

While the sheer weight of a heavy snow might be the first thing that comes to mind, most properly installed and maintained roofs can weather some additional weight for a considerable amount of time. The true risks of snow and ice comes from the process of thawing and refreezing, which allows these conditions to damage and potentially invade your home.

When snow lands on your roof, it can be exposed to a certain amount of warmth that is radiating up from your home (this is particularly an issue if your attic is poorly insulated and ventilated). This makes the underlying layer of snow melt (what we call “quick melt”). As this melting snow begins to run, however, it will refreeze. This can:

  • Pull up shingles or material, allowing melted water into your home that will lead to roof leaks and water damage.
  • Run into gutters and refreeze, leaving massive and heavy blocks of ice in the gutters. This will very easily lead to gutter damage or gutter collapse!
  • Create large ice dams on the roof that can compact and form into exceptionally heavy sections of material that can cause roof damage—this also creates dams that block proper water flow off of your roof, preventing proper drainage.

How to Prevent Snow & Ice Problems

To avoid damage to your roof from snow and ice, be sure to maintain a properly insulated attic and home, which will help you avoid the negative effects of quick melt. Outside of this, it’s all about consistent maintenance. When we get a heavy snow, you should:

  • Carefully inspect gutters to ensure they’re clear of snow and ice—this facilitates healthy draining as the snow melts
  • Inspect the roof for considerable accumulations of ice
  • Consider installing soffit vents. The soffits are the surface under the eaves of your roof, and properly venting this area is integral to avoiding ice dams
  • Consider installing heat tape along your gutters, which will ensure the gutters do not build up icicles and dams

We would suggest that you never use rock salt on your roof! Rock salt, or calcium chloride, can be highly corrosive and will damage most roof materials.

What to Do If You Have Excessive Ice on Your La Plata Roof

If your roof does accumulate excessive amounts of snow or ice, your best bet is to contact a roofing contractor! Mild amounts of snow can be cleared with a snow rake, but larger amounts should be handled with the tools of a professional. Avoid trying to break ice dams off with a tool. Ice dams adhere to your roof materials, and attempting to knock them away can often damage the materials underneath.

Need help with your roof this year? Contact Southernwood Roofing & Siding or give us a call at 301-934-0043 to find out more!

What Our Customers Have to Say
Recent Customer Reviews
Southernwood Roofing and Siding
★★★★★
Team was patient and well organized in helping us get a hail damage claim completely covered and new roof/gutters installed. Special shout out to Chris for his attention to detail with the quote as well as maintaining a clean work site.
Happy Customer
La Plata, MD
★★★★★
Southernwood is the best when it comes to roofing and windows. I had 3 new windows installed on my house just as a test to see how they performed. I'm now going to have the rest of the house done. Don't bother shopping around, Southernwood goes the extra mile.
Michael
La Plata, MD
★★★★★
My wife and I are extremely pleased with our new roof. This is our weekend home so Southernwood handled the project, start to finish, while we were not there and did a great job. Very honest folks.
Wayne
La Plata, MD
★★★★★
Ralph and Southernwood Roofing LLC was exceptional. There wasn’t a question that I could ask that one of them couldn’t answer. The roof, siding, windows, garage door all was done with precision. Definitely will recommend this company.
Cheryl
La Plata, MD
★★★★★
I love the new roof. Great value compared against 5 other local companies. Ralph was very responsive getting the quote, selecting shingles and getting the work done. I would definitely recommend Southernwood
Karl
La Plata, MD
Southerwood Roofing and Siding
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