Hiring A Roof Snow Shoveler?

[bignhfamily]

Originally Posted by AliceT

My camp was built by Mennonites in Maine and for two winters, it sat in a clearing, unattended. Nobody there to rake the snow off. It even has skylights in it. No problem. If it's built in Maine, for Maine, by Mainers, you won't have a problem with any snow load. That's part of the equation and those Mainers want a repeat customer.

If you have this issue in NH, $150 sure beats the cost of a new roof. But if that's going to be a repeat headache every winter, for my money, I'd rather replace the roof and not have to worry about it.

A camp sitting unattended is probably not heated and therefor would not have ice dams.

I've seen extraordinarily fine building in several areas of Maine. I've also seen houses so Mickey Moused that I would be scared to step in.
I have seen both scenarios in CA, AL, FL, GA, KY, MA, VT and NH as well. IMHO it is all about the builder and not where it's being built or for who.

The sad part is that anybody in Maine (or here in NH too) can throw on a tool belt and call themselves a contractor. If you hire a contractor to build your home the electricians and plumbers have all been educated and spent years working in the field to receive their masters license. The guy building your 3 story structure, however, could be a high school dropout with little experience. These kind of guys usually cut corners and low-ball prices so they get the job. That's when the trouble starts.

I am a big advocate of Building Contractor licensing and continuing education.

[quiet walker]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

Yes, it is under some circumstances.

A shingle roof once it forms an ice dam along the eave will push water up underneath the shingles and into the attic.

I have a neighbor who experienced this last week. I helped them to remove their ice dams.

A metal roof [which are fairly popular in this area] is not subject to such issues.

A question: I had ice dam problems exactly as you described and dripping out through the ceiling on the second floor in a house that had a shingle roof. However, the ice dam was formed by the rain gutter attached to the roof edge.

Does your metal roof have a rain gutter? If not, do metal roofs that have a leak like you described in a later post - re screw gaskets - have an ice dam problem, and how do the dams form?

Thank you for answering all my dam questions

Best Regards, qw

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by quiet walker

A question: I had ice dam problems exactly as you described and dripping out through the ceiling on the second floor in a house that had a shingle roof. However, the ice dam was formed by the rain gutter attached to the roof edge.

Does your metal roof have a rain gutter? If not, do metal roofs that have a leak like you described in a later post - re screw gaskets - have an ice dam problem, and how do the dams form?

Thank you for answering all my dam questions

Best Regards, qw

It fulfills my life's desires to be able to answer your dam questions.

My Maine house roof does not have a gutter. I own an apartment building in Ct that does have gutters, and down there it is a continuing problem. Those gutters fill solid with ice, and will weigh a lot. So much weight wrecks havoc, pulling the gutters down from the siding.

Ice dams that I have seen form along the eave. Once they begin to form, they grow quickly as any melt-off runs down onto them and re-freezes making the dam larger and larger.

Part of the cause behind ice dams is the heat that escapes through a roof. Melting the snow-load and causing run-off, which is likely to re-freeze. When temps are higher, it will all melt and run-off without re-freezing. But if your roof is partly heated, the snow will melt and begin to run-off, it flows underneath the snow layer, but where can it go? If everywhere else is still below freezing, then as the water runs off, it will re-freeze somewhere. The eaves is the first place where run-off water is leaving the heated roof and first feels the colder temps again. So it freezes right there.

[quiet walker]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

It fulfills my life's desires to be able to answer your dam questions...

Thank you Sir

... The eaves is the first place where run-off water is leaving the heated roof and first feels the colder temps again. So it freezes right there.

Anyone ever done anything like attaching a heat tape to the roof eaves. I was planning to do this to the house I wrote about. Was planning to try to put the tape into or under the gutter. But then I sold the house.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by quiet walker

Anyone ever done anything like attaching a heat tape to the roof eaves. I was planning to do this to the house I wrote about. Was planning to try to put the tape into or under the gutter. But then I sold the house.

I see those in use.

However a sweet young thing was recently telling me that those tapes have been found responsible for having started house fires.

So I would want to look very closely before deciding which one to use.