Roof tops winter worries

MARBLEHEAD – First there were icicles. Then the water started seeping in and freezing in the space between the storm window and standard window. Then the tupperware containers came out to catch the drips.”I’ve been nervous about the amount of snow for a few days, but Sunday night we started seeing the water come in,” Marblehead homeowner Sabina Hurley recalled. “It’s an old house, so we expected some (maintenance) things, but didn’t expect this.”The majority of focus may be on snow removal from local streets, but officials are reminding residents that the snow hasn’t just piled up on the ground but also above their heads, putting roofs at risk of leaking and/or collapse.”I’ve been dealing with calls, emails, Facebook messages, I have another phone in my hand, and have people calling, crying,” Stephanie Vanderbilt, co-owner of Coastal Windows and Exteriors in Beverly, said Monday.The record for snow depth was broken Monday afternoon, with 37 inches of snow on the ground.The snow is also on many roofs, particularly low-pitched or flat roofs, causing leaks and even, in some cases, potential collapse.While there are scattered reports of buildings collapsing underneath the weight of the snow, Vanderbilt said Monday that all of her company’s calls are for leaks caused by ice dams forming on the edge of roofs. These prevent melted water from dripping off the roof, causing it to seep underneath shingles and back up into attics, ceilings and around joints or seams in windows or other architectural features.Vanderbilt said the ice dams happen essentially due to cold outside air and “warm attics” without adequate ventilation or insulation. She explained that an attic should ideally be the same temperature as the outside air and have enough insulation to keep warm air from the house out of the attic and enough ventilation to allow air to circulate so that moisture cannot build up.But when an attic is warm and the roof is insulated with large amounts of snow, the snow will begin to melt and run off the roof, Vanderbilt said. When the water gets to the edge of the roof and the eaves or in gutters, it comes in contact with cold air from underneath (since it is no longer over the warm attic) and freezes. The melting water from higher up on the roof then backs up and seeps under the shingles causing leaks.”What I am hearing is most people saying, ?I have a leak, water pouring through a kitchen light, water coming through windows,” Vanderbilt said. “They are asking me, is it windows, or is it roof?”Deep eaves on a low pitched enclosed porch caused ice dams for the Hurleys in Marblehead, Sabina Hurley said. She called Vanderbilt Sunday, and a worker came over to the home for about five hours Tuesday morning, assessed the damage and the cause of the damage, and shoveled off the roof and chipped away the ice buildup (without damaging the roof, which Hurley noted). The work cost $450, and Vanderbilt said a minimum price is $400 for the roof cleaning services. Vanderbilt will typically follow up with the client a few days after the initial work to discuss any roof fixes to prevent future incidents.She said that this service differentiates her company from many others offering to clear off roofs, echoing much of the advice issued lately by city and state officials about avoiding potential scams.”Do not use your painter or plow guy to go up and clean off the roof… use a roofing professional,” Vanderbilt said. She noted that Coastal Windows and Exteriors is a master elite roofing contractor, a distinction shared by only 2 percent of roofing contractors in the United States. “If you get a quote that’s $200 that’s too cheap. Or $100 – $300 just run away. And you can’t do it in an hour. It’s going to take time, it’s going to take patience.”Nor should homeowners depend on stockings filled with ice melt that they throw up on the roof.”People are all about that ice melt but I would not recommend creating something with a stocking like you saw on Pinterest,