Saskatchewan warm-up brings roof leaks, attic damage risk

An unexpected January warm-up across Saskatchewan is leaving some homeowners dealing with water issues inside their homes as melting snow and refreezing ice put added stress on roofs and attics.

Roofing expert Zachary Schlageter with Schlageter Quality Roofing said these temperature swings are often when hidden problems begin to show.

“It’s an important time for people’s roofs. It’s a time when a lot of people will notice that they actually have problems with different things in their home,” Schlageter said.

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One of the biggest concerns during a warm spell is ice damming, which happens when snow and ice build up along the roof edge and in gutters, preventing proper drainage.

“When that happens and then the snow begins to melt, it can cause water to back up underneath your roof, which then can enter your home or along your eavestroughs and cause rotten wood,” he said.

Schlageter said that water can also reach attic spaces, where it may soak insulation and cause long-term damage.

“That can cause mould,” he said, adding that moisture can eventually appear inside living spaces.

“You can get enough water inside your home that it’ll actually show up on the drywall, and then you’ll have to be replacing drywall inside your home.”

Condensation was another issue he flagged, especially in homes with poor attic ventilation or improperly sealed exhaust fans.

“If you don’t have proper ventilation in your attic to allow cold air to enter and then the hot air to leave that area, you can get a large amount of ice build up in your attic,” Schlageter said.

“When that melts in the spring, you get what we call attic rain,” he added, calling it “very, very bad for your insulation and for the inside of your home.”

Schlageter encourages homeowners to keep eavestroughs clear and ensure vents aren’t blocked by snow, noting that freeze-thaw cycles could make problems worse.

“When you have melting and freezing, that’s when ice damming can become quite a big issue, especially along your eavestroughs,” he said.

He said that when it warms up like this, it consistently leads to an increase in inspection calls.

“Once the weather starts changing and it starts getting warmer, we get tons of calls for ice, damming and condensation,” Schlageter said.