Which Springfield roofs carry the most snow risk, how to clear a roof safely, and the signs that mean leave.
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Snow load is the weight of snow on a roof, and it is the main concern on flat and low-pitched sections, which state guidance identifies as most at risk. Clear snow from the ground, shaving it to two or three inches with a plastic tool rather than scraping to the covering. Sagging, cracked wood or creaking means leave the building and call 9-1-1 from outside.
Snow load is a structural question before it is a roofing question. A roof is built to carry a certain weight of snow, and how much it can take depends on the framing, the age of the building and how the snow is distributed across it. The state's roof collapse guidance names flat and low-pitched roofs as the most at risk, because snow piles on them instead of sliding off. Springfield's housing includes many such sections on rear ells, multi-family blocks and commercial buildings.
Massachusetts guidance is specific about what to do. Shave the snow down to two or three inches rather than scraping the roof clean, because scraping damages shingles and other coverings. Use a plastic shovel, since metal tools can damage the roof. Do not use ladders in icy conditions, do not stand on the roof, and do not place heavy equipment on it unless a registered professional engineer approves. The code sets a ground snow load town by town, and the building department confirms the figure for a specific address. This site prints no load figure.
Phones are answered 24/7, and a visit the same day is possible only when a technician is free. No arrival time is promised. Clearing snow from the ground is the homeowner's job in most cases. A technician's visit is usually about what the snow has already done: sagging, cracked members, leaks, or a covering damaged by the wrong tool. A roofer called after a storm is generally looking at the aftermath.
Do not stand on a snowy or icy roof, and do not place heavy equipment on it. Keep ladders off icy ground, and keep clear of the drop zone below a steep roof. Plastic tools and a roof rake from the ground are the safer choices. If a ceiling sags, a wall cracks or wood visibly splits, leave the building without touching light switches and call 9-1-1 from outside.
Before anyone climbs a ladder or walks the yard, the building is looked at from the street and from the yard. Sagging lines, bowed walls, cracked masonry and doors that stick are checked. A sag or crack found this way decides whether the snow is cleared at all, and whether a professional should look before anything else happens.
Snow is cleared from the ground with a plastic shovel or a roof rake used from a safe position. Nobody should stand on the roof, and a ladder on icy ground is not safe. A roof that is steep, icy or high is a job for a professional who works with fall protection, and the homeowner should ask how the crew will do it.
The state's guidance is to shave the snow to two or three inches. The remaining layer protects the covering, and scraping down to the shingles damages the surface and breaks the granules loose. A plastic tool is the safer choice because metal can cut into the roof and open a path for water.
Gutters and downspouts are cleared so meltwater has somewhere to go, and snow is kept off the walk and driveway below the eave. Clearing the drainage is the work that stops the next ice dam from forming, because meltwater that cannot drain refreezes at the edge.
After a thaw, the roof is checked for leaks, lifted flashing, sheared sealant and any new sag. A technician who is called at this point looks at the structure first and at the covering second. Where members are cracked or split, a qualified professional should confirm the structure before anything is repaired.
The state names flat and low-pitched roofs as the most at risk, because snow stays on them. Valleys where snow drifts and roofs already weakened by earlier damage are also at higher risk.
A flat section that is already carrying a leak, a worn membrane or a sag has less margin for a heavy snowfall than a sound one. Snow that drifts against a wall or up into a valley adds weight in one place, and that is where a roof is tested hardest.
A homeowner who notices a sag, a crack or a change in how the doors close should treat it as a structural question first, before any covering question.
This site prints no load figure. The code sets a ground snow load for each town, and the building department confirms the figure for a specific address. The signs of stress matter more than a number.
The state's guidance points to signs rather than a single threshold: sagging, bends, cracks and creaking. Those are the signs to act on, and they mean leave the building and call for help from outside.
A building department can say what the code requires for a particular roof, and an engineer can assess a roof that shows stress. Neither is a homeowner's estimate.
Hire someone who works with fall protection, plans the clearing from safe positions and explains the work in writing. A crew that expects the homeowner to stand on the roof is not the right choice.
Ask how the crew will reach the roof, what equipment it uses and whether it will leave two or three inches on the covering. Ask who is responsible if the covering is damaged, and what the crew will do about the snow that falls onto the walk.
A homeowner who clears the roof from the ground with a plastic tool is following the state's guidance, and that is often enough for a flat section that is not yet stressed.
Keep the area below the roof clear, mark it, and consider a snow guard on steep roofs. Snow and ice that slide from a roof can fall without warning, and the risk is greatest at the eave above a route people use.
Shovel the walk and driveway after a heavy fall so that a slide does not land on people who are working there. A snow guard on a steep roof holds snow back and reduces the sliding mass.
Some metal roofs need snow guards as part of the design, and the metal roofing page covers that choice.
Rear ells, porch roofs, commercial blocks and mill-building conversions often carry low-slope sections, where snow piles up and does not slide. These are the roofs the state names as most at risk, and they need the most attention after a heavy snowfall. The flat roof repair page covers the covering and drainage side.
On a steep roof, snow can slide off in a mass and land above a door, a walk or a driveway. The risk is at the eave and below it, not on the roof. Keeping those areas clear and marking the drop zone is the practical step, and a snow guard can hold snow back where it would fall onto a route people use.
Standing seam metal sheds snow quickly, which can be useful on a steep roof but is a hazard above a route used by people. Snow guards are part of the design for a metal roof, not an extra. The metal roofing page describes that choice.
Sagging, cracked or split wood members, bends in supports and cracks in masonry are signs of structural trouble. The advice is to leave the building and call 9-1-1 from outside. Structural repair belongs to a qualified professional and the building official, and the roof-covering specialty license does not cover it.
Snowfall in the Pioneer Valley is heavy, wet and often followed by a thaw, and the freeze-thaw cycle that follows is what most loads the roof's joints. A snow that stays on a flat section is a different question from one that slides off.
Springfield's mill-era and multi-family buildings carry flat and low-pitched sections alongside steeper front roofs. That combination means snow piles in one place and slides in another, so a roof can be clear on one slope and heavily loaded on the next.
Hampden, Monson and Russell are hill towns in the wider region, and this site makes no claim about how much snow falls in any of them. The building department is the right source for an address.
Most roof snow load and snow removal calls are scheduled the same day when a technician is free, and you approve the price before any work starts.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
A written roof condition report for Springfield owners and buyers, covering decking, flashing, ventilation and remaining life.
Repair of flat and low-slope sections on rear ells and multi-family buildings, where seams, drains and parapet flashing tend to fail first.
Ice dam prevention and repair for Springfield roofs, built on attic air sealing, insulation and eave ice barriers.
Targeted repair of shingles, flashing and decking on older valley roofs where replacement is not yet due.
Flat and low-pitched roofs are the most at risk from snow and ice.
There is no fixed date. Check the roof after heavy or wet snow, and before a warm spell is followed by a freeze, since that cycle is what loads the roof and sets up ice at the eave. A quick look from the ground is enough to see whether the snow is piling up.
A roof rake is safer than climbing, provided it is used from the ground and the crew or homeowner stays out from under the eave. The state's guidance favors plastic tools, since metal can damage the roof, and the snow should be left at two or three inches.
Leave the building without touching light switches, and call 9-1-1 from outside. Do not go back in for belongings. A sag is a structural sign, and the building needs a professional to assess it before anyone re-enters.
Yes, particularly when the snow is scraped off to the covering. The National Institute of Standards and Technology notes that weathering and freeze-thaw can compromise how asphalt shingles take mechanical loads, which is one reason the state asks for a light touch.
The state names flat and low-pitched roofs as the most at risk from snow and ice. That is a statement of the roof type, and each building's condition, framing and drainage decide how much risk it carries.
That depends on the policy and the cause. The Massachusetts Division of Insurance says ice-dam damage may be covered when it was sudden and not caused by a lack of maintenance. The policy and the insurer decide.