Snow and Ice on Hudson Roofs: Shaded, Wooded Lots
A roof under oaks keeps its snow for days after the neighbor's has melted. That is where most winter roof leaks in Hudson begin.
How much winter does a Hudson roof get?
Plenty. The official measuring point for this region, Akron-Canton Airport, averages roughly 47 inches of snow a season in the federal climate normals. Hudson sits at the northern end of Summit County, a good deal closer to Lake Erie than that airport is.
Total snowfall is only half the story. What hurts roofs is the cycle. Between November and March a Hudson thermometer swings above and below 32 degrees dozens of times. Snow melts a little by day and freezes hard at night, over and over, and every pass works water a bit farther into any gap it finds.
Why do shaded roofs have more trouble?
Sun clears a roof. An open south slope can shed a snowfall in an afternoon. A slope under tall trees, or one facing north behind a line of pines, may hold the same snow for a week or more.
Much of Hudson is built that way. The subdivisions of the 1970s through the 1990s were cut into woodland and builders left as many trees as they could. On the acreage lots in the north end the canopy is nearly continuous. Bare winter branches still block a surprising amount of low sun, and evergreens block nearly all of it.
Trees add a second problem in fall. Leaves and twigs settle in valleys, behind chimneys and above skylights. When snow lands on that mat, meltwater cannot drain. It pools, freezes and backs up.
How does an ice dam form?
It takes three things: snow on the roof, heat leaking from the house into the attic, and an eave that stays below freezing.
- Warm attic air heats the underside of the roof deck.
- The bottom of the snow pack melts and water runs down the shingles under the snow.
- At the overhang there is no warm attic below, so the water freezes into a ridge.
- More meltwater arrives, hits the ridge and pools behind it.
- Shingles shed running water. They are not built to hold standing water, so the pool seeps under them.
On a shaded roof every stage lasts longer, because the snow that feeds it never leaves. Complicated roofs make it worse. A valley that drains two slopes onto a short eave, common on Hudson colonials with front gables, concentrates the melt in one spot.
What do snow and ice leaks look like indoors?
- A stain where an outside wall meets the ceiling, upstairs, appearing during a thaw.
- Water at the top of a window frame.
- Drips around a skylight a day or two after snow.
- Damp or matted insulation along the attic's outer edge.
- Peeling paint under the soffit outside.
The timing is the clue. A leak that shows up in a thaw, with no rain, is almost always ice. Note the date and take a picture. Once the roof is clear, a roof repair in Hudson can deal with the flashing or shingles the ice got past.
What can you do yourself?
From the ground, in winter: a long-handled roof rake can pull snow off the lowest three or four feet of a one-story eave. That removes the fuel for a dam. Do not climb an icy roof, and do not chip at ice with a shovel or hammer. Chopping breaks shingles.
In the attic, before winter: the real cure is a colder roof deck. Seal the gaps where house air leaks up around light fixtures, the attic hatch and plumbing stacks. Add insulation over the top-floor ceiling. Make sure insulation is not stuffed into the soffits and blocking the intake vents.
In fall: get the valleys and gutters cleared after the leaves are down.
What does a new roof change?
A reroof cannot stop snow from melting, but it changes what happens next. Two parts of our standard scope are there for winter.
Ice and water shield. This self-sticking membrane goes on the bare deck along every eave and down every valley before shingles. If ice does back water up under the shingles, the membrane keeps it off the wood. Many older roofs have only felt paper there, or nothing.
Ridge vent. A continuous vent at the peak lets attic heat out, which keeps the deck colder and slows the melt that starts the whole chain.
The edge of the roof matters too. Our page on roof and gutters explains how drip edge and gutters work with the membrane.
When should you call about winter damage?
If water is coming in, call right away, any hour. If you only suspect a problem, such as heavy icicles in one spot every year or stains that come and go, book a look for the next clear day. The owner checks the eaves, valleys and attic himself and sends photos. A small fix is priced in writing before work starts, like any other Hudson roof repair. If the roof turns out to be worn everywhere, the same visit serves as a free roof inspection and you get a rating to plan with.
Ice got in last winter?
Have the eaves and valleys checked before the next freeze. Photos the same day, and a written price before any repair.