Unless you re lucky to live in sunny california you probably know the never ending plight of shoveling heaps of snow from your roof every winter.
Roof creaking snow.
According to the insurance institute for business and home safety most residential roofs should be able to support 20 pounds per square foot of snow before they become stressed.
The wood frame under your roof experiences temperature changes from the outdoor air because the attic does not receive much heating or air conditioning.
When pressure builds joints and other areas of connections such as nails and metal plates between the roof and attic walls may move slightly with one component or connection moving away from or toward another.
The timbers and framing lumber will crack before the collapse but sometimes there s not a lot of warning.
Doors on interior walls begin to stick or pop open.
Sagging severe roof leaks or cracks in the wall.
Roof cracking sounds are somewhat common in the winter.
While doors leading outside may stick in the winter inside doors.
If heavy snowfall has built up on your roof watch out for these warning signs.
The ideal pitched roof is smooth and steep so the snow slides off and framed with closely spaced rafters for strength.
School was cancelled so i had the day to remove the rest and it took the day.
Excessive snow accumulation can be the result of ice dams unbalanced snow load heavy snowfall or rain or just simple roof geometry working against you.
If you notice excessive or unusually loud cracking and popping sounds after mother nature has piled frozen precipitation on your roof it may be wise to investigate further.
Creaking wheezing or popping sounds happen at nighttime due to cooler weather.
The energy released by this movement is what causes the loud banging or cracking sound.
The snow settles on it.
The most dangerous situations are when the roof is about to collapse because of too much snow and ice.
And while not everyone has experienced alaskan snowfalls such as the record breaking 78 in 24 hours in 1963 we all know that a sudden blizzard may leave your house covered in a thick layer of snow.
Putting the dangers of falling through out of my mind i continued to shovel the snow easing the creaking roof s snow load.
During the day the wood expands.
At night the outdoor temperature lowers and the wood contracts.
Consider consulting with a contractor before next winter to determine what you can do to increase the pitch of your roof and ease the burden of heavy snowfall.
Later that week the race was on as 6 inches of new snow was added to the roof with over a quarter of an inch of freezing rain.
Take a look around your home and note any signs of gutters pulling away from your roofline.
Snow and ice build up are another reason for roofs to pop and creak.
