Ice Solutions

Overview of Snow & Ice Issues in WNY

All Products

Ice build up on homes or any roof in Western New York is common here and not a problem created by the roof system. Regardless of what type of roof system is installed, ice dams can form. Ice is a direct effect caused by excessive heat loss from the home or building and improper ventilation and or insulation. The style of the home, its framing method, and various other factors will determine how to tackle the ice damming issue. The solutions are not crystal clear and may be different for each home.

Insulation

With the design of certain homes, it is possible that no insulation can be added. This is why we use our roof top insulation system we call the “sandwich”. This system, installed directly on the existing roofing, allows added insulation to help mitigate your heat loss. As mentioned, it is only one of the two suggestions that could help in mitigating ice buildup that leads to leaking.

Ventilation

The second potential remedy is the installation of a thermostatically controlled attic exhaust vent. The objective of an attic exhaust vent for winter is to dilute the warm air lost from the home with cold air from your vented soffits or gable louvers. The goal is to get your attic spaces to 32 degrees or below to prevent melting of rooftop snow, which causes ice dams. The installation of this fan, as well as updated and proper insulation can create the “perfect” attic environment.
Our sandwich insulation has over the years worked extremely well for us in combating this age old problem.

However, we want to make it perfectly clear there is no guarantee that we can stop your ice issues, and that problems or leaks caused by ice are not covered by a warranty.

Snow Bars

Winter snow sliding off a steel roof on those beautiful sunny days. This is a good thing when you are concerned with excessive snow build up which could lead to building collapse or failure. The snow sliding off the rood can also damage property such as gutters, fascia, soffits, vent pipes, satellite dishes, decks and shrubs. Installing a snow bar on the entire roof or areas you would like to slow down the sliding of the snow helps mitigate the problem.