It’s been a record year for snowfall in Minnesota – with weather sources reporting that Minneapolis has seen over 40” and while snow covered roofs are a nice sight to be seen, they can really wreak havoc on your roof.
Why remove snow from your roof?
One of the biggest reasons to have snow removed from your roof is to prevent ice dams. With the amount of snow that’s fallen this year plus the wavering temperature above and below freezing, snow starts melting on parts of the roof that are above freezing. Meanwhile, parts of the roof may still be below freezing. The conflicting temperatures on the roof is where we get into problems. Heat loss from a house, snow cover and outside temperatures interact to form ice dams. This happens when snow that has melted on portions of the roof flows down to lower portions of the roof that then freeze.
Where does the melting snow go if it can’t flow off your roof?
As snow melts, it may finds nooks, crannies and cracks in your roof and attic to seep into. This can create problems inside your home as well.
How do you safely remove the snow from your roof?
While some rely on roof rakes and brooms to remove roof snow, improper use of these can damage shingles, gutters and other areas around your roof. To prevent damaging your roof and the damage an ice dam can leave behind, we recommend calling in a professional to have your ice dams steamed away.
Ice dam steaming is a tried-and-true technique for removing ice dams from roofs. The process converts cold water into low-pressure steam, which is then sprayed through a specially designed nozzle, melting the ice on the roof entirely. Then, the melted ice and snow can flow through the freshly cleared gutters away from your home.
Close to Home Construction now offers ice dam and snow removal with our steamer. Our team was busy recently clearing our office roof and a few others last week. Give us a call for an estimate and help in protecting your roof from ice dams and snow: (763) 219-7181.