Should I attempt to get the snow off my flat roof?
Snow can cause chaos! It can also look pretty! But it can cause an inconvenience for homeowners in an assortment of ways.
Furthermore, with the UK at present in the grip of minus temperatures and snow in a lot of places, numerous individuals will ponder whether their properties can adapt to the intense temperature change. So can snow affect a flat roof?
It’s often thought that really heavy snow disproportionately affects flat roofing structures – this is a misconception.
As a general rule, snow can damage a pitched or flat roof – extreme weather can cause premature ageing.
The capacity of the roof to withhold the heaviness of the snow and rise unscathed from a freezing winter spell of heavy snow will entirely depend upon the quality of the materials and products used, also to a degree the workmanship.
Numerous colder nations with overwhelming yearly snowfall continue using flat roofing structures – they are structured to withstand any adverse weather conditions.
Traditional flat roofs, produced using felt, don’t perform so well in such low temperatures. The property holders having problems with their flat roofs this winter would have the older-style felt roofs or an ageing roof that requires replacing.
So what makes traditional flat roofs vulnerable to snow and ice damage?
Unlike a pitched roof, a flat roof is not able to rely on gravity to discard ice and snow.
Only one square foot of compacted snow can weigh up to 50 pounds. Such a weight increased can put genuine weight on a flat roof, especially older flat roofs which are normally seen on garages, carports and sheds were never designed and built to withstand this level of weight.
When we have been called out to repair an older felt roof, we have found that heavy snowfall has caused puncture wounds or even result in it collapsing.
Another possible problem is the melting and refreezing of the snow sitting on your flat roof, which can take place naturally vie the warmth of the sun during the day, or from the heat escaping your home.
An ice dam can form when snow melts and refreezes around the edges and other joins. The repetition of melting and refreezing could over a period of time, deteriorate your roof.
As water seeps under the shingles it refreezes, making a significantly greater hole for future waste to fill which can raise your shingles. As more melted water drains away, it could look for and even create cracks in the wood and walls which will grow in size until inevitably water leaks through your roof into your home.
It is usually more cost effective if your flat roof is well past its sell-by date to opt for a modern, advanced superior product.
By using an advanced technical solution and it being properly installed, this will perform and protect you in any climate.
High Tech’s single-ply PVC membranes are particularly engineered and built to form a dimensionally stable waterproof covering which is unaffected by expansion and contraction, and will fully protect you again the worst of the British weather or the damage solar rays of our summer days.
As the weather has been predicted to become colder with heavier snowfall, it may be best not to wait until a leak is visible but to find out more about a replacement flat roof using the latest of technology.
