ST. CLOUD -- Heavy snowfall early this season poses a threat to the roof of your house.

Shane Zablocki owns Zablocki Roofing Inc. He says the heavy snow, coupled with the thaw and freeze cycles, can create ice dams...

When you have this massive amount of snow this early on, and then you get the freeze and thaw, it's perfect conditions for building ice dams.

He says to closely inspect the edge of your roof to see if ice is forming...

When you're facing the house if it's looking wider and you see a whole bunch of ice at the edge, that's when you should start getting concerned. Now, a lot of that can depend on how big the overhang is. If you have a larger overhang, the less susceptible you are to an ice dam.  If you have a small, like a one-foot overhang, and it is building up, then you have more of a chance of getting an ice dam sooner than others.

Zablocki says you can help prevent ice dams from forming by using a roof rake to pull the snow off of your overhang. It's important to remove the snow past where the eave meets the frame of the house.

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If the snow isn't removed, it can melt and refreeze at the edge, effectively damming up any water that tries to escape the roof.  The water then folds back underneath the shingles and will cause damage.

He says to be careful to not scrape the rake down to the shingles or you may damage them.

Zablocki recommends calling a professional if you need to have your roof vents cleared of snow or to have snow removed from your roof. He does not recommend going up on your roof on your own.

 

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