Ice Insidiousness

Ice Insidiousness

Here in Central Virginia we have had an unusual winter. Well at least unusual for the last 20 years. Snow that fell, melted some, fell again, melted a little more, fell again then decided that freezing and thawing would be a good way to go.

This has created problems that we have not had to address for some years and namely it has to do with flat or low slope roofs. Ice has a way of finding and exploiting any small hole or crack that may have developed in flashing's and edgings as well as places where a branch has fallen or a squirrel decided tasted good. These holes may have been there for quite a while and have never been noticed due to the small quantity of water that has been entering through the roofing material. A good soaking rain or any bulk water will find its way to this hole but ice melt likes to take advantage of the path of least resistance.

The problem is that ice will form and does not allow melt to easily move to areas of drainage. It therefore sits in a spot and slowly moves along. Small holes begin to become the drain and overtime will get soaked. Compounding this is the water potentially freezing and thawing in this hole or crack causing it to expand and allowing more water to intrude. We tend to notice these cracks in winter because that is when the leak starts. It probably has been there for quite a while it’s just that there has not been enough water to make it noticeable. If the rafter bays have been insulated, as I have done to mine, it may take quite a bit of water to soak through to the inside surface. This creates a whole new problem in that the insulation will never dry and eventually you have a mold and rotting problem.

After the snow melts away and the roof is dry it will be a good idea to either have a roofer inspect the flat roof or take time to put a new coating on it. Ultimately if you have seen a leak you need to seek professional help. There may be far more damage than you expect and replacing this flat roof may be the best choice.

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