BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — With the long-lasting cold weather, many homeowners are dealing with ice buildup that has kept roofing and gutter professionals very busy over the last couple of weeks.
I caught up with a crew from William C. Rott and Son working to remove snow and ice from the roof of a home in South Buffalo. General Manager Steven Rott said that with all the snow and cold temperatures, ice buildup is pretty common and is caused by insufficient insulation and ventilation near the roof.
"Basically, you have the snow melting under the other snow from the heat loss, comes down to the edge, freezes in your gutter or on the overhang, and that keeps happening until you have this big giant ice dam on the edge," Rott said.
WATCH: Ice dams keep roofing professionals busy during prolonged cold snap
In severe cases, Rott said ice dams and icicles can cause water damage inside homes. He said if you do have a leak, you should have a professional look at the situation before it gets worse.
For ice removal, Rott also suggests speaking with an expert rather than attempting to do it yourself.
"If there's not a problem, you could make the problem by either doing it badly or having a situation where you drop some giant chunk of ice onto something if you're doing it yourself, if the ladder kicks out or falls over, that's a very bad day for somebody," Rott said.
Rott said in most cases, if it's not broken, don't fix it when it comes to ice, and reach out to a professional who would be happy to answer any questions.
