Warm weather means it's time to clear off snow, roofer says

You might be celebrating the warmer temperatures this weekend, but a Winnipeg roofer is warning the end of the cold snap could spell trouble for your roof.

After a record snowfall in Winnipeg in December, Jeff Ehlers said melting snow due to balmy weather could lead to problems with ice damming and water infiltration into your home.

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Ehlers owns the Winnipeg roofing company Above All Roofing & Renovations. He says the amount of snow on your roof is the obvious indicator of whether you've got a problem a foot is too much, he said and ice and icicles are more advanced symptoms of an ice dam in the making.

"Ice and icicles are definitely a more advanced symptom of the problem, and this is definitely a bigger problem with older homes," he said.

"There's a lot of older homes in Manitoba. If you've got any house in the Wolseley area, River Heights area, any of those 1960s and earlier [homes], you're definitely going to want to check out your roof."

Warm weather means it's time to clear off snow, roofer says

8 years ago

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Warm weather means it's time to clear off snow, roofer says

Ehlers advised checking for ice accumulating at the bottom of any valleys in your roof and at the edges of the eaves. Ice that gets too thick in those spots will cause big problems, he said.

Getting your roof professionally cleared typically costs a couple hundred to a few hundred dollars, he said, although that varies based on the size of the home.

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Most winters, homeowners should clear their roof once or twice, he said, but this year you may need to do it more frequently thanks to all the white stuff.

If you're shopping around for roof clearers, Ehlers recommended looking for a company that is certified by COR, a nationally-recognized certificate of recognition program.

"That way you know that they're going to do this work safely and properly," he said. "Basically they're going to do a good job for you and you're not going to be disappointed."

The COR programverifiescompanies that have implemented a comprehensive health and safety program toreduce incidents and injuries on the job.