With temperatures warming up, ice and snow on your roof has the potential to leak into your home. Melting snow in the gutter can freeze, creating an ice dam. That can lead to huge problems.
"When the top layer of snow that is on your roof, when it starts to melt it has nowhere to go, and when it has nowhere to go, it will essentially back up into your roof line and start leaking," said President of All Seasons Roofing Alex Thornton.
It could not only leak into your home, but also onto insulation, which can create mold and mildew.
People can do two things to help with this issue:
- Heating cables: They can be bought online or at some hardware stores, but you’ll need a professional to install them. Heating cables can be hardwired into a home and be turned on and off like a light switch.
- Salt: Sprinkling salt into gutters can help, but make sure salt does not get onto the roof. Salt can get onto shingles and eventually eat away at the granules on the roof.
Whatever you do, do not climb onto the roof. Hire a professional.
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Ali Hoxie can be reached at ali.hoxie@kshb.com.
