The Importance of Roof Snow Removal and Clearing

Why Remove Snow From My Roof? 

Important Advice About Removing Snow From Roofs

It's blizzard time, folks! Get ready for the Nor'easter of 2015, which is scheduled to dump 1-2 feet of snow on the Tri-State area, with possibly more on Eastern Long Island - that's you, Suffolk County!

While I'd like to say that we're ready for this blizzard, Best Quality Roofing and Chimney, Inc. would like to remind homeowners NOT to attempt to climb up on their roofs to remove snow. It's a dangerous business, and it can result in fatalities. We're insured for it, so call us. 

Now to the advice (well, more advice): Why remove the snow from my roof?

1. Your roof can only take so much weight on it. The beams that support it are made to hold up the plywood and shingles, and perhaps a fee gallons of water, like when it rains. What it's not set up to do is to handle 1 to 21 pounds per square foot of snow! Now multiply that by how many square your roof is, and you're talking tons of extra load on your roof. 

2. After a day or two in the sun, the snow closest to your roof will begin to melt, sliding down your roof and into your gutters. This process is called "ice damming", and the end result of an ice dam is the loss of your gutters. They're simply not equipped to handle tons of ice in them, and will fall down or bend until they break. 

3. Did you have a little leak over the summer or during the fall that you didn't repair? Get set for more damage. That little leak spot under a missing or damaged shingle or bent flashing will now get full of ice, expanding the opening, and finally melting into the already damaged roof. Translation: Come the spring or the next thaw, you're going to notice that leak mark on your wall and ceiling getting bigger and bigger. 

4. Do you have a flat roof? What about a low-pitch roof? Houses with screened-in porches and dormer extensions often experience a very high snow load. Even with blowing winds, the snow tends to pile up on roofs like this, and eventually bears down so hard that it splits the roof. Yes, indeed, folks, I've seen commercial roofs that had steel I beams severely damaged. One place I walked into 2 years ago had the beams bent so badly that they burst through the ceiling. You could see them in the hallways, and the snow was pouring in through the holes. 

****What can you do about this? 

Call us today, set up an appointment right after the storm, to get the snow off as soon as possible, before it starts to melt. 

If you note any abnormality in your roof line (like the picture above only not so extreme) call us at once.

And if you think you have a snow emergency, call us immediately. 

****What to look for: Actually, it's what to hear for. Roofs with large snow load will begin to "groan" during the storm. You may hear "creaks" and low pitch "groans" as the load becomes more and more severe. Call us ASAP if you hear these noises. We'll come out and give you an estimate (for free) and remove the snow for you. 631-281-9100 Best Quality - Standing by for Emergencies. Nick.