Roof Snow Removal Considerations
Roofing, Roof Repair – Preventative Roof Maintenance Encouraged Before Winter Comes!
Fall has arrived and winter is just around the corner. This time of year is when people tend to be the most busy, with having just came back from vacation to children starting school and various other activities. With so much on the go for people, the last thing that you want to think about is the ROOF!
Yet the reality remains, this is also the busiest time for roofers, as facility managers and homeowners alike start to prepare the buildings for the harsh weather that winter brings. This is the best time to consider whether or not your roof has any current issues that need attending to. The snow loads in Toronto were record setting. For many of the roof systems, if they did not fail or have issues last winter, it is almost certain they will have problems this winter.
We have watched several commercial and industrial roofs completely fail in the Toronto area. The roofs literally buckled under the pressure from all the weight of the snow we received. Yet we believe this could have less severe had proper maintenance been taking place before the season hit.
This winter has proven to be highly unusual. We experience such diversities in the climates all around Canada. All this diverse weather kept our roofing crews at complete capacity, often having to work many hours of overtime.
Some things to consider for your commercial, industrial, and residential roof maintenance prior to the next winter setting in;
Flat Roofing: Any flat roofing that took on heavy snow loads will most definitely require some attention. We highly recommend that owners heed the warnings from the previous season and at least asses the current quality of their roof, it would be best to have this assessment completed before the first snow fall. We have an annual roof repair and maintenance check list for flat roofing and the maintenance required to be completed listed on our website.
Metal Roofing: Metal roofing was hit the hardest last winter. The reason is that metal roof systems, especially commercial and industrial, had snow loads that compromised the metal roof panel seaming. In other words, the metal panels on the roof have been warped or pressed down so hard that the seams between the panels and the fasteners are compromised. The other issue we are seeing with industrial and commercial metal roofing this year is that many of the gutter systems are damaged.
The problem with metal roof systems on industrial buildings is that when the ice builds up in the gutter it will then back up and enter the building under the metal cladding. Fortunately, there are excellent solutions for metal roof issues yet most cases do require a full replacement.
Nowadays we can coat metal roofing with liquid rubbers. This is a elastomeric spray on roof coatings that will seal the metal roof seams, fasteners, and vents.
To learn more about how to solve metal roof leak problems search the topic on our blog at the top right corner. Simply type in your inquiry and our search engine will show results of the pages to help.
Residential Roofs: These systems did not have nearly as many structural failures that occurred with Industrial and Commercial roofing last year. Although that is not saying that residential roofs, roof attic ventilation and condensation did not have their fair share of complications. The reason being is that with the snow loads on roofs, the ice damming, condensation and ice backups in gutters, caused numerous problems.
As stated earlier, this winter season has been a treacherous one. Due to this fact, TORONTO ROOFER would like to remind everyone to have an assessment completed on their roof for the next season BEFORE snow begins to fall.