Commercial roofs are experiencing a real test this year. After the recent warm up its been reported to APPRO that there are cases of water/slush under the snow that one can see on thes types of roofs (The water usually is unseen). This moisture has the potential to find it’s way into roof penetrations such as plumbing vent pipes and HVAC vents. Roofs with a low cant roof edge are also at a greater risk of this water seeping into the building.

On these low sloped or flat commercial roofs it would be wise to remove snow from the roof drain scuppers by shoveling a small area out around the scupper and applying ice bite or salt to eliminate ice dams at those locations. This should provide some temporary relief.

Wall downspouts that now resemble a large icicle are a different matter. Not much can be done to these beyond using high pressure steam to eliminate the current ice jam. Once cleared a heat trace can be installed to help keep the downspout clear.

Let us know if you need assistance we’d be happy to direct you towards a solution for your snow and ice issue.