IDEAL MAXIMUM ALTITUDE ROOF DESIGN

The ideal roof designs for a home or building in the very high altitude mountains of Flagstaff should not be the same as those in more southern mountainous climates. In Flagstaff we all know that on clear days it often gets very hot, while on clear nights it often becomes very cold. These extreme changes in temperature creates the situation where melted water produced during the daytime will freeze on eaves and will rapidly create ice accumulation and large icicles.

Special considerations come into play for roofs that are constructed in cold and icy regions. Disregarding these differences creates a roof subject to constant weather related maintenance, damage and costly repair.

High Altitude Roofing Issues:

1. removing snow and ice damming in order to prevent roof leakage
2. repairing roof damage caused by the build-up of ice and snow
3. repairing or replacing eaves damaged by ice
4. repairing interior damage caused by a leaking roof
5. installing temporary heating elements in order to circumvent the issue

Ice Damming In Maximum Altitude Regions Like Flagstaff

Ideally, a maximum altitude roof is designed with a steeper slope which allows water to cascade downward and is also prepared with waterproof membranes. Roofs that are not designed properly allows water to back up and ice to build up (Ice damming) which creates leaks and damage to your roof. Ice damming is the build-up of snow and ice at the down-slope eaves which backs up water on the roof. With ice weighing in at 57 pounds per cubic foot, and Flagstaff being the 8th snowiest city in the United States, your roofing system must be constructed to withstand such harsh conditions.  Besides snow, the natural warming and cooling cycles creates ice which in turn places even more burden on a maximum altitude home or building, adding to the development of extremely large icicles that drape from the eaves and threaten to break them. That’s why is it is important to design roofs so so that such heavy loads do not occur in the first place.

Ice dams at eaves are created in maximum altitude regions with high snow accumulation mainly because of heat moving from inside a home or building through the ceiling and into the attic and roof, meeting the snow atop. Depending on how much snow is present, how well your roof is insulated, the amount of ventilation and the outside temperature, the escaping heat may melt the snow. Snow packs will begin to gradually melt if warmed to 32 degrees and water begins running down the slope of the roof. When the outside temperature falls below 22 degrees, the melting water that is flowing down the slopes will freeze again when it reaches the cold eaves of the roof. This is when the ice damming begins.

The Ideal Maximum Altitude Roofer In Flagstaff