Tag Archives: winter and storage buildings

Potential Ice Storm

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We are once again in a part of the season where freezing rain is a potential threat.

The freezing rain itself is not the threat, even if there is a lot, since at a certain point, if there is enough ice, it would become self supporting

Where the potential risk comes, if the temperature would fall and the ice would really freeze to the cover, snow would not be able to slide off the structure.

To prevent this from happening, take a few minutes to gently bump the cover to remove the ice.

The critical thing to remember when bumping the cover is to ALWAYS start at the top and work down. This way the lower ice will “protect” the cover when the higher ice is sliding down.

The sooner this process is done, the smaller the job will actually be.

But PLEASE do not go in a compromised structure, you are more important

Good luck!

Winter Storm and Your Structures

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Winter Storm & Your Structures

Many areas have been hit with freezing rain today and even though it has generally not been enough to warrant concern for the structures, it is a good time to recap some common things when dealing with ice on buildings.

It is important to note that the ice in itself is not an issue, even a very thick layer actually has enough strength to become self supporting. There are two potential problems though:

  • If the ice stays on the building, it usually has a rough enough texture that subsequent snow will not likely slide off. This scenario lead to major problems in previous winters when we had freezing rain, followed by a dump of snow and then we had rain. This can triple the weight on a building in very short order.
  • The other potential problem happens when you are attempting to remove the ice from the building. If the ice layer is not too significant you can gently bump the cover from the inside. ALWAYS start bumping the cover from the top. This way ice will slide over ice. Starting from the bottom creates a potential where the ice sliding down will fall back against the building and slash the cover. NEVER do all of one side and then the other. Work both sides simultaneously.

If there is the slightest doubt in your mind about the amount of weight on the building, bump the cover from the outside using something with a long handle.

If in doubt please don’t hesitate to ask.