Rainfall freeze might significantly compromise your roofing system. This is specifically troublesome if ice kinds in your seamless gutter, protecting against water from effectively streaming from your roof covering.
If your place has severe rainfall, the stored water can slip under your shingles and also inside your home, creating substantial water damage. Also simply a few inches of water may create substantial indoor residential property damages by disrupting electrical wiring as well as making it possible for mildew to grow within the home. Water damage may happen on both sloping and also level roofs.
What is rain freeze?
When the layer of cold air is too thin, droplets do not have enough time to freeze before reaching the ground, resulting in freezing rain. Instead, the water freezes as it comes into contact with the surface, leaving an ice covering on whatever the raindrops come into contact with.
Harsh freeze-thaw cycles can cause fractures to appear in your roof. Freezing rain may quickly cover your roof before hardening into ice. Your roof will expand and crack as a result of this. A damaged roof creates the ideal environment for moisture to infiltrate into your house, resulting in leaks, water damage, and even mold.
Moreover, an ice dam could be a problem. It forms around the eaves of your home, thereby keeping water from flowing down the roof’s surface. Because there is nowhere else for the stopped water to go, it will seep into your roof. Ice dams become more a problem during the colder Michigan months, where freezing rain is widespread.
Taking care of your roof should be of outmost significance because you are effectively safeguarding an investment that should last you for years to come. The average roof should last you around 20 years, depending on the materials utilized, upkeep, and weather conditions.
How to protect your roof against rain freeze
After a blizzard, you should inspect the roof for damage, only if it has been cleared. Note that you should still avoid going on the roof during a storm or when temperatures are below freezing and the risk of ice is high.
Depending on the type of storm (quantity of snow and weight of snow), you may consider removing snow from your roof while following the usual safety procedures and standard safety precautions. A normal roof rake should help to clear around 3-4 feet of snow off the edge of the roof, which should create enough area for the water to melt and flow.
You may even use a panty hose to mitigate the damage once the ice dam has built. Fill a calcium chloride ice melter into the leg of a discarded pair of pantyhose. Place the hose on the roof in such a way that it spans the ice dam and hangs over the gutter. You may use a long-handled garden rake or hoe to put it into position. The calcium chloride will ultimately melt through the snow and ice, allowing water to drain down the gutters or off the roof.
For long-term avoidance, insulation is the most effective choice since it takes on the origin of the problem. Additionally, homeowners that are considering replacing their roof should think about placing a water-repellent membrane layer. This membrane layer is laid under the roof shingles and also works as an obstacle to maintain water as well as dampness from permeating the roof’s bottom. Hope this write-up has been handy in going over rainfall freeze!