If you live somewhere that gets snow during the winter, it is important to understand how all that snow affects your roof. Snow is heavy and puts a lot of weight on your roof, and it can clog up your gutters, which is why it is important to remove large amounts of snow from your roof.
#1 Snow Is Heavy
Snow is really heavy and puts a lot of pressure on your roof. Each inch of snow is like an inch of water sitting on top of your roof. When you have twelve inches of snow sitting on top of your roof, it is like your roof has the weight of a shallow pond sitting on top of it. All of that snow puts a lot of pressure and weight on your roof. Your roof is not designed to support that much weight for a continuous period of time. Carrying too much weight for too long can cause long-term damage to your roof.
#2 Snow Causes Moisture Damage
Snow can cause water damage to your roof. The snow that is closets to your roof will melt as heat escapes through your roof. This melted snow will try to run off of your roof. However, this snow can easily re-freeze again once the temperatures start to drop in the evening.
This will result in a layer of ice forming between your home and the snow. This ice can also get in your gutters and clog them up, making it difficult for other run-offs to be properly channeled through your drainage system. When water doesn't have anywhere to go, it will make its own path, which is often under your shingles and into your home.
#3 Snow Should Be Raked Away
To prevent snow from building up on your roof, you should rake snow off of your roof. This will take the pressure off your roof and reduce the risk that your roof will collapse. Raking the snow off your roof will also make it easier for the little amount of snow that is left to properly melt and go through your drainage system. You should not get build-ups of ice when you rake away most of the snow on your roof. Water should not seep under your roofing shingles anymore.
You should work to keep snow from building up on your roof. When too much snow builds up on your roof, it puts a lot of pressure on your roof, which can damage the structural integrity of your roof and cause water to leak under your roof. You can prevent this by raking snow off your roof.
Contact a company like Toth Roofing for more information and assistance.