What your snow-covered roof is trying to tell you — before it’s too late

With a near-record 23.1 inches of snow in February, it’s understandable Tri-City homeowners have grown weary of shoveling sidewalks and driveways.

But ignoring roofs and gutters could be a costly — even dangerous — mistake.

No building roofs are known to have failed because of snow, but lesser structures have.

Snow is blamed for collapsing a carport at Phoenix Manor Apartments in Kennewick, damaging 18 vehicles parked beneath.

It’s also blamed for gas station canopy that collapsed in Pasco, and for knocking an awning off a downtown Kennewick building.

Snow loads remain within building codes, but Tri-City roofers who offer snow-clearing services say they’re surprised at how few people are calling.

“There ought to be a ton of people screaming to come get the snow off my roof. This is stuff that we’re not really used to,” said Brian Kinnaman, owner of Encore Roofing in Kennewick.

Ignacio Cardenas of Royal Roofing in Pasco concurred.

“The amount of calls we’re getting is close to none. It surprises me.”

Kinnaman said the weather helps reveal how roofs do — and don’t — work.

Snow and icicle damage

But Tri-Citians aren’t heeding the lessons written in snow and icicles. And they could be in for an unwelcome surprise, he said.

Icicles can be a symptom of a roof in trouble.

“You can drive down the street and see some homes have humongous icicles and some don’t have any,” he said.

Icicles are caused by inadequate ventilation or insulation, or both. And they’re bad news for roofs and gutters.

Generally, icicles form when heated air builds up in attics that don’t have enough insulation and lack the right kind of ventilation system to release the heat. The warm air seeps through the roof and melts snow.

Water runs down the roof until it hits the frigid air at the edge and freezes. solidifying as icicles and ice dams.

Both are bad mews. Ice dams prevent roofs from shedding water while ice itself can be heavy enough to crush gutters.

‘Perfect nightmare’

Kinnaman said the prolonged period of snow and cold is a “perfect nightmare” for property owners.

He advises homeowners to avoid injuries and inadvertently damaging their homes by hiring roofing contractors to tackle the snow.

If a home has icicles, he advises rethinking the summer home improvement list to include adding more insulation. It’s a cost-effective way to cut down on heating bills and protect your roof in the future. Adding vents to ridgelines is another good idea.

Tri-City roofs tend to have vents below the ridgeline, leaving an area at the peak for warm air to collect..

He also advised gently knocking icicles in the direction of the roofline. Outsized icicles can overload gutters, bending or even breaking them.

Cardenas, of Royal Roofing, said homeowners should take time to understand how their roofs work. He’s noticed heavy snow accumulations in south Richland and western Kennewick.

The vast majority of Tri-City homes have shingled roofs, which are water resistant, not waterproof. That’s why ice dams are so damaging and why roofs should be cleared. The cost is about $300 for a two-person crew for the first two hours, he said.

Wind lends a hand

Homeowners may adopt a wait-and-see attitude to snow, but local school districts with acres of rooftop to maintain say they’re actively monitoring their roofs.

Finley School District Superintendent Lance Hahn said snow hasn’t been much of an issue — wind blew most of its schools clean. The district is dealing with ice-related roof leaks, though Hahn said that’s to be expected.

“Any time you have a roof with that kind of square footage, water is going to find its way in someplace,” he said.

Building codes require roofs to withstand the weight of moderate snow, up to 20 pounds per square foot, or roughly 20 to 24 inches of snow. Practically speaking, built-in safety margins push the strength higher.

Check out what Tri-City building code officials have to say about building codes and snow here and here.

This story was originally published March 1, 2019 at 5:31 PM.