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Ice buildup in your gutters and downspouts can cause serious damage to your home. Knowing how to prevent this build-up and how to treat is key to keeping your home’s gutters and downspouts in good condition.
A common suspect of ice blockages on and around your roof is from poorly insulated attics. An attic lacking good insulation allows heat to escape the home, melting the snow on the roof and allowing it to turn into ice when the temperature outside drops below freezing. Another common cause is poorly maintained gutters. When gutters and downspouts are not kept clean year-round, leaf and debris buildup prevent melting snow from escaping, and it eventually turns into ice.
An ice dam is a thick ridge of ice that forms on the eaves of a roof. This thick layer of ice traps melting snow (water), from escaping the roof. The built-up water can eventually leak into a home causing roof, ceiling, and wall damage.
Ice dams are caused by heat escaping a home through the roof. When this happens, the snow melts in some areas but leaves the thick ice that has already formed on the edge of your roof as ice. The ice ridge remains on the edge of the roof, as the snow melts and trickles down, it is unable to leave the roof. Eventually, the water leaks into the home or freezes again. If the water freezes again, it will help the ice dam grow, continuing this cycle again and again and increasing the chances of your roof leaking.
When the water backed up by the ice dam finds its way into your home, this moisture causes mold and mildew growth. The sooner these effects are treated, the better. Another major effect of ice dams is damage to your gutters and roof. The heavy dams often cause severe damage to gutter systems. The built-up water causes leaks and harsh wear and tear on your shingles.
Ice dams can cause your home to have several types of damage and need to be prevented. Our team of roofing contractors will perform an inspection and develop a course of action for your ice dam issues. Contact us today at 724-960-8002 or send us a message: info@gregorroofing.com
Works Cited:
https://www.servicemasterbyzaba.com/blog/how-to-remove-ice-dams-dos-and-donts/
https://extension.umn.edu/protecting-home-rain-and-ice/dealing-and-preventing-ice-dams
https://heattrak.com/blogs/homeowner/removing-ice-dams-from-your-roof
https://daleenrestoration.com/effects-of-ice-damming-on-your-home-or-business/
https://www.thisoldhouse.com/roofing/21017660/how-to-get-rid-of-ice-dams
Icicles are a beautiful part of the winter season but can also be a sign of a big problem: ice dams.
Ice dams can cause water to back up, leak into your home, peel paint, warp floors, and sag ceilings. All of these problems can lead to mold and mildew issues. Ice Dams can also cause loose or falling gutters and shingles.
An ice dam is a thick ridge of ice that forms on the eaves of a roof. This thick layer of ice traps melting snow (water), from escaping the roof. The built-up water can eventually leak into a home causing roof, ceiling, and wall damage.
Ice dams are caused by heat escaping a home through the roof. When this happens, the snow melts in some areas but leaves the thick ice that has already formed on the edge of your roof as ice. The ice ridge remains on the edge of the roof, as the snow melts and trickles down, it is unable to leave the roof. Eventually, the water leaks into the home or freezes again. If the water freezes again, it will help the ice dam grow, continuing this cycle again and again and increasing the chances of your roof leaking.
When the water backed up by the ice dam finds its way into your home, this moisture causes mold and mildew growth. The sooner these effects are treated, the better. Another major effect of ice dams is damage to your gutters and roof. The heavy dams often cause severe damage to gutter systems. The built-up water causes leaks and harsh wear and tear on your shingles.
Ice dams can cause your home to have several types of damage and need to be prevented. Our team of roofing contractors will perform an inspection and develop a course of action for your ice dam issues. Contact us today at 724-960-8002 or send us a message: info@gregorroofing.com
Works Cited:
https://www.servicemasterbyzaba.com/blog/how-to-remove-ice-dams-dos-and-donts/
https://extension.umn.edu/protecting-home-rain-and-ice/dealing-and-preventing-ice-dams
https://heattrak.com/blogs/homeowner/removing-ice-dams-from-your-roof
https://daleenrestoration.com/effects-of-ice-damming-on-your-home-or-business/
https://www.thisoldhouse.com/roofing/21017660/how-to-get-rid-of-ice-dams
A poorly insulated attic can cause your family many issues, from high energy bills to unwanted drafts. As Pittsburgh’s coldest time of year approaches, it is important to check for the signs of poor insulation in your attic before the snow comes. But how do you know if your attic’s insulation is the problem?
A significant cause for concern when an attic is poorly insulated is the HVAC system working twice as hard to keep your family warm or cool. Not only is the system working harder, but all that work is going straight outdoors (literally). When your home is poorly insulated, and your warm or cool air is escaping, you crank the system to enjoy a moderate temperature in your home. Unfortunately, while your system is working hard, it also raises your energy bills.
As previously mentioned, a poorly insulated attic can cause ice dams or icicles on your roof. Ice dams become a big problem when they cause your shingles to detach from your roof, gutters to crunch, and icicles can potentially fall off into your yard below, potentially harming objects below.
Once you’re positive the attic is the issue, what do you do? First, there are a few types of insulation you may want to put in your attic: the most common include blown-in, batt or roll, and spray foam.
Blown-in
Blown-in insulation comes in fiberglass or cellulose and creates a thick coating on your attic floor.
Batt or Roll
Batt or roll insulation is usually made of fiberglass or rock wool and is installed in rolls, typically along the walls of your attic.
Spray Foam
Spray foam insulation is sprayed into your attic via a chemical reaction that expands to fit into every nook and cranny.
Once you’ve concluded that your attic is poorly insulated, call a trusted insulation contractor to schedule a visit. An insulation professional will provide your family with the recommended insulation type for your home. It is also a good idea to call a roofing professional to check your roof and ensure ice dams did not cause your home any damage.
Works Cited:
https://www.beyondexteriors.com/blog/fall-attic-insulation-replacement/
There are a number of reasons your Pittsburgh, Pa. home may need a new roof. The first thing you may be wondering is about the cost of roof replacement.
If you have sustained some sort of damage to your roof in the past few months or have a leak, you’ve likely been weighing your options for a roof replacement, and the cost of it all.
Gregor Roofing will come to your Pittsburgh home or business personally, where we can give a better estimate that can help guide and educate your roof replacement decision. We do not provide ballpark estimates, as every roof is different in terms of valleys, chimneys, dormers and other variables.
For reference, asphalt shingle roofs range from $5 to $8 per square foot. Your prices could be higher if your home is multiple stories, has a steep pitch, is complex in construction, or you choose premium materials.
On the other hand, jobs tend to be on the more affordable side when your home is a single story, the pitch of your roof is modest, regularly priced building materials are used, or if no replacement work of the underlaying plywood is necessary.
In the Pittsburgh area, you’ll find that there are a few widely used roofing materials. In other climates, ceramic shingles are much more prominent, but because of a few factors (most of which is our varying climate) roofs in our area are limited to asphalt shingles, rubber, slate, and metal roofs.
Asphalt shingles are the most effective and long-lasting standard for residential roofing materials, and they also tend to be the most affordable. As things go these days though, the price can vary based on the price of crude petroleum and supply chain availability, as asphalt itself involves the utilization of petroleum.
Depending on what style of building you have, you may need a non-shingle-type roof (especially for ranch-style homes without an attic or commercial buildings). Flat roofs are very different and are not consistent in cost with shingled roofs. They’re usually more due to labor and material costs.
As with all these factors, to get a more exact number, your best bet is to give us a call – one of our roofing specialists will come out to your home or business.
Works cited:
https://no1homeroofing.com/five-common-types-of-residential-roofing/
Although rare in our area, hailstorms are something that can be incredibly dangerous and costly to your home, your vehicles, and other items that may be in the way of a storm outside. Pittsburgh residents generally see fewer than six hail incidents a year, but if a storm hits, the damage can be extensive and costly.
Hail is a form of precipitation mad e up of solid chunks or balls of ice which form inside thunderstorm updrafts when there is an abundance of cold air. Rain drops within the cloud are carried upwards with updrafts and collect moisture as they flow through the cloud, and then fall to earth when the wait of the ice ball becomes too much for the cloud to support. In warmer weather, the hail will melt and dissolve in the air, but in the “perfect storm”, hail can fall to earth and sometimes wreak havoc.
There are obvious signs of hail damage like dents in shingles or siding, but just because your roof doesn’t have large dents in the shingles doesn’t mean you won’t have hail damage. Your roof vents, gutters, roof flashing, and other roof penetrations are sure-fire signs that you should consider making some roof repairs. But how much damage necessitates a whole-roof replacement? A few dings or splatter marks are treatable in small, localized repair, but the only way to know for sure is to call and receive an estimate from a Gregor Roofing professional.
For minor to moderate cases, roof damage is handled with spot replacements (for shingled roofs). When a certified roofing professional has thoroughly examined your roof, they will mark each shingle that needs replaced and fit a matching piece in its spot. When damage is severe, sometimes there will need to be a whole-roof replacement, including gutters and other pieces of hardware. For roofs that are flat or sealed with rubber or tar, most of the time, the affected areas just get resealed and repaired in a much simpler method.
Failure to treat damages or ignoring damage altogether can lead to unforeseen in-house issues like roof leaks, problems with roof drainage, or overall loss of property value. Stay on top of hail damage roof repairs and be proactive in seeking out the proper help. Give us a call at (724) 969-4145 to get started with a job estimate.
