Across New England, there’s a new winter chore: snow raking. With snow still piled high on rooftops for weeks and no significant melting, the buildup is creating dangerous ice dams that can lead to serious home damage.
For roofers, this has been an especially busy season.
“This winter is the busiest winter we’ve had in ten years,” said Brian Porier, a home contractor. He has seen firsthand how snow-laden roofs can quickly lead to major problems.
“There’s just a hill of ice at the bottom of the roof that stops the water from coming off. And that water can find its way inside and cause inside people’s houses. In most winters, after a big storm, we see some kind of thaw before the next storm. But this winter has been different,” he continued.
“What makes this storm special is that it came with cold air right after the storm left and it’s been over two weeks and it hasn’t relented so the dams are really large and the puddle that gets stuck behind them is also really large that where the water inside is coming from,” he said.
As a result, contractors are working nonstop — using roof rakes, steam, and whatever tools they can to safely clear roofs.
“You can always get up there after the fact the old school way. Hammer and chistle and hope for the best and try not to damage the roof,” said Jeff Bixby from B&B Aluminum Products.
“If there’s cold weather behind, you gotta take all of the snow and all of the ice that’s the only way to get through this incident,” said Porier.
Now, with temperatures finally creeping above freezing, some melting has begun. But winter isn’t finished yet. Whether through warmer weather or hard work, it’s important to get that snow off the roofs before more damage is done.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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