There’s always an unspoken beauty to ice and snow that people all over the world love looking at. In some cases, however, it’s only a matter of time before something beautiful turns disastrous.
In the beginning of March, a winter storm aptly named “Winter Storm Sparta” by The Weather Channel has swept many parts of the country, carrying a massive combination of snow, ice, and rain and moving from the Plains to the Northeast. It was expected to continuously pummel the region in the following weeks, after dropping its load of snowfall and freezing rain in portions of Texas and Oklahoma.
The weather phenomenon was one of the factors that plunged 49 of 50 states into a miniature “Ice Age”. Boston was among the hardest-hit areas, receiving a total of 102 inches of snow, only 5.7 inches short of the record amount set in 1995-1996.
While commercial establishments seem to have taken the storm’s brunt, residential areas have been put in peril as well. The massive snowfall has caused a myriad roofing problems, one of them being icicles. When they develop on gutters, icicles are heavy enough to tear these structures apart—leading to a massive repair bill. Additionally, icicles are often precursors of ice dams, which can lead to a disastrous roof collapse if not addressed immediately.
As March continues, signs of spring will begin to emerge, but winter storms are not likely to completely dissipate. To strengthen your defense against winter storms, you’ll have to act preemptively. Ice dams typically form when snow on the roof melts due to heat from inside the house. When the melted water runs down the roof, it refreezes in the gutters and clogs them up—leaving no other recourse for the runoff but to seep under your shingles and leak into your home. You can prevent this from happening by making sure your attic is properly insulated, preventing heated air from escaping through the roof.
Icicles and ice dams can also form if your gutters are clogged and dirty, as runoffs cannot drain properly to the ground. Installing gutter guards can be a big help. A trusty gutter guard will help keep your gutter free of blockage by filtering out debris that can cause clogging.
Additionally, consider installing gutter guards which integrates a heating cable system, such as GutterDome Magma from GutterDome, Inc. These are highly recommended for Class 1 areas, particularly the Northeast, where heavy snow is expected almost every winter. The integrated heat cable in these products have been designed specifically to combat the buildup of ice dams and icicles, and come in various designs to match different roofing pitches and configurations.
(Source: Rain, Ice, Snow Expected In New Winter Storms Moving Southwest To Northeast, UPI.com, February 28, 2015)
GutterDome, Inc. 