Spring is the season when the majority of leaking basement issues occur. This is due in part to one obvious reason; Spring brings a lot of rain. Rain gutters are the obvious solution to this problem, but what about the “not so obvious” problem that causes leaking basements? Snow for the past 3-5 months can actually cause more leaking basement issues than an early spring rain storm.
Throughout the winter, snow and ice will build up on your roof. If you have a roof with a slippery slope, such as a metal roof or tile shakes, the built up snow and ice will eventually slide off your roof. A lot of people believe this is a good thing because they do not want heavy snow and ice sitting on top of their home or business because they are afraid it will collapse their home or office building. The truth is building codes are written in such a manner that buildings properly constructed are able to handle the heavy load of snow and ice accumulated through the winter.
Allowing snow and ice to slide off your roof creates a mound of snow that builds up right at the base of your home. This is a problem. Sliding snow and ice also damages your roof, and rain gutters if you have them installed. This sliding snow and ice is so powerful that not only can it rip the rain gutters off the side of your home; if it hits someone it can actually kill them. Many a car has had the roof or hood caved in due to snow sliding off of sloped roofs.
Let’s get back to that mound of snow problem. The mound of snow that forms from the sliding snow creates two problems related to leaking basements. The first is the amount of stored water in the form of snow sitting right at the base of your home melts, saturating the ground. When rain comes along there is no more dry ground to soak up the fresh supply of water. Second, the snow creates a nice ramp for water running off of your roof. The problem with this ramp is that the downhill side of it is next to your home. Essentially this creates a funnel or channel leading right to your basement walls for the rain water that is falling. When a rainstorm comes, your roof now acts as a large collection basin sloping toward the “snow funnel” on the ground. Basically, nature has created a plumbing system for rain water to end up in your basement. This is not good.
So what can I do to avoid this problem?
There are products on the market to combat sliding snow and ice. These products are called snow retention systems. Snow retention systems consist of either a number of snow guards spaced out on your roof that act as several dams stopping the snow on your roof, or a snow rail system which is a long pipe or number of pipes attached to supports which also stops snow on your roof. Sno Gem and Sno Shield are popular snow retention manufacturers if you are interested in researching further into snow retention.
My neighbor installed the Sno Shield Panel Guard two years ago on one section of his roof over a window well where he was constantly having leaking basement problems. Last year we did not get any snow to speak of and he felt that he may have wasted money, but this year was a different story. We received several foot or more snow storms this year. Now we are at the end of March, and he was just telling me the other day after a large rainstorm that he can see no signs of leaking in his basement. The snow guards kept the snow on the roof allowing it to slowly melt and drip off. He said that it has been nice to be able to look out the basement windows this year and not see a sheet of plywood over the window well in an attempt to divert the runoff.
The best way to utilize a snow retention system to keep water out of your basement is combined with a rain gutter system. The snow is held on the roof where it can slowly melt. The run off is then properly guided away from your home via the rain gutter system or evaporates. The rain gutter system and anything else below the eave of your roof is protected by the snow retention lowering your potential liability and financial headaches.
About the Author
Written by Kade Smith. Kade is the owner of Roof Things located in Rexburg, ID. Roof Things is a roofing supply company found online at http://www.roofthings.com.