SGI Canada is encouraging property owners to take some time over the next few weeks to move snow off the roof and away from the foundation of buildings.
With hot-cold cycles already started, the risk of ice damming, seepage and condensation issues has increased and they want to help home and business owners prevent a messy problem.
SGI Communications Consultant Jeremy Pilon said they want to make people away of potential problems after the recent dramatic changes in temperatures.
“We’re excited to see that the weather and the temperatures are starting to warm up here in Saskatchewan, but with the heavy snows that we’ve had this winter, that creates an issue where there’s higher potential for things like ice damming or seepage into people’s basements,” Pilon said.
Snow that collects on the roof of a home can melt due to heat rising from an attic or warm outdoor temperatures. When that melts, water reaches the eaves where there is no heat and it often re-freezes into a large ice block called an ice dam.
That dam prevents melted snow from draining off the roof, where it then finds its way into the attic and walls of the home.
“We’re trying to get the word out to folks right now that it’s the time to maybe pull the snow off the roof of your house so you can prevent ice damming and at the same time you’re doing that, moving that snow away from the foundation of your house so that you don’t have that water seeping into your basement and causing issues down there,” Pilon said.
At a press conference in Regina on Friday, SGI used a model cutaway of a house to explain the procedure.
“We’re just trying to demonstrate what an ice dam looks like and what some of the things are that you can do to prevent water and ice damage to your house while we get go through the spring melt this year,” Pilon explained.
He said when an ice dam is created the water has to go somewhere.
“It ends up going into your attic, into your ceilings and into your walls, causing a lot of water damage there.”
The simplest way to prevent this damage is by removing snow from the roof, especially within two metres (six feet) of the eaves. You can safely do this by using a roof rake – a tool that consists of a snow rake on a long, extendable pole that can safely reach the eaves of the roof to remove snow.
Residents should avoid leaving snow piled up around their foundation too. SGI recommends shovelling it at least two metres away from your foundation to prevent seepage into the basement.
Not all insurance policies have coverage for the damage caused by ice dams. SGI recommends talking to an insurance broker to ensure you have the coverage in place that meets your needs.
“Depending on what kind of insurance coverage you have, you may not be covered for it, and even if you are, there may be a deductible and things like that, as well as the inconvenience of having your house torn apart because of it,” Pilon said. “We’re just looking to prevent that headache and maybe the expense of having that happen.”
He said that water can also seep into basements which can become very expensive for homeowners.
“We’re just trying to get some advice out there on some definitely hard work but otherwise fairly simple things that we can do to prevent that damage from happening,” Pilon said.
As a last line of defence, Pilon said to check that your home has a sump pump installed and that they are working properly. This is also a good time to clean and maintain the backwater valve on your sewer line if your home has one.
Pilon said that it is a good time to check your houses flood systems like the sump pump.
“Make sure that it’s operating and can pump water out of your any sump pumps you have in the house,” he said.
He also reminded people to check the backwater valve.
“Make sure it’s operating correct correctly and clean that up. You open it up, use a toilet brush to scrub out the inside and make sure the flap inside of the valve is operating correctly. (It’s) just that time to make sure all the systems in your house are working to deal with water right now.”
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
