The first snowfall this year didn't amount to much. Three inches at most, followed by freezing rain to give it weight and a crust. But as it was winding down, my thoughts weren't about shoveling the front steps or putting sand down to aid with traction. And I knew the plow guy would be coming by to take care of our driveway.
Instead, my thoughts turned upward. In winter, I'm obsessed with my roof. And with a simple tool that has become my indispensable ally in maintaining my house properly in cold weather.
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My roof rake.
It's not much to look at. Sixteen feet of aluminum pole with a perpendicular 22-inch-wide blue plastic blade at one end. But it makes all the difference in keeping melting snow from turning into streams of water that leak into the house. That'll damage walls, ceilings, light fixtures and anything else that's under the drip, drip, drip. Over time, it could develop into a mold problem.
Inside your house, leak detectors are handy gadgets for all kinds of water mishaps, but prevention is always the better policy.
If you live in an area that regularly receives snow, pay attention to the buildup on your roof. In one sense, snow on the roof is a positive thing. It indicates that you have sufficient insulation in your ceiling and attic to prevent warm air from escaping, as well as proper ventilation to help keep the roof cool.
But that snow will melt, producing runoff that heads downhill to your eaves and gutters. That's where the problem begins.
The winter of 2015 was a brutal one in Massachusetts, with roughly 90 inches of snow falling in less than a month. That year, the ice dams won. Jon Skillings/CNET
As that water reaches the edge of your roof, it becomes more exposed to cold temperatures, and it'll refreeze, creating ice dams. Those frozen blockages will build up and prevent the next waves of meltwater from falling harmlessly off your roof. Where does that water go? It backs up under your shingles and through the roof decking, following a new gravitational pathway into your living spaces.
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