Snow and Ice Roof Damage Repair in Dearborn, MI
Snow is a load and a water source at the same time, and a flat roof has to carry the first while draining the second. For a warehouse with a wide membrane field, a school gym with a high parapet, or a retail center with rooftop units, the same winter produces different damage: drifts against a wall, ponds behind a frozen drain, ice at a gutter, torn flashing at a curb. Snow and ice damage repair in Dearborn, MI starts with a map of where the snow lay and where it melted, because the repair follows the water path.
Local snow loads are set by code and checked by site. We do not calculate them. We document what the roof shows after a heavy winter and say when a structural question belongs to an engineer.
What the Winter Record Means for the Inspection
A Dearborn year brings 30.8 inches of snow, mostly from November to April, against an average temperature just under 50 degrees Fahrenheit and about 4,000 heating degree days, which shows how long a roof spends in the cold. In the Detroit normals January adds 14 inches and February 12.5, with measurable snow typically beginning about November 16 and ending about April 7. For a roof, that is nearly five months in which snow can load it, melt, and refreeze.
That span sets the inspection calendar: drains and edges are checked before the first snow, the roof is walked after a major storm if access allows, and a full post-winter inspection follows the last thaw. Each visit adds to the same numbered sections, so the record shows what the winter did.
Drifts and Concentrated Load
Wind moves snow from open areas and drops it against parapets, penthouses, and rooftop units, where drifts reach much greater depth than the surrounding cover. A lower roof beside a taller wall collects what slides or blows from above. These pockets carry more load than the average, and they melt later, which keeps the membrane cold and wet longer.
We map drift zones from the evidence they leave: staining, compressed insulation, deflection in the deck, and cracks in the sheet along the drift line. Photographs run along a line from the drift edge to the wall with a tape in frame. Where a deck sags or a ceiling below has cracked, the structural question goes to an engineer and the roofing repair waits. The record states what was seen, where, and when, and it treats the climate figures as background and the roof's own marks as the evidence. A roof that sits near the end of its service life may show snow damage that a newer one would have shrugged off, and the findings say which case applies.
Frozen Drains and the Water Path
Meltwater needs a path. A drain bowl that freezes solid while the midday sun melts the snow above it backs water up behind the ice, and a pond forms, freezes overnight, and adds weight to a deck that already carries snow. The first prevention is to clear the drains and scuppers before winter and again after the first hard freeze. We photograph each bowl, record the debris found, and check that the strainer is in place.
Where a scupper repeatedly freezes, the plan may enlarge the opening, add a heated cable, or provide an overflow outlet. After a freeze, a ponded area is measured as it thaws, and the record shows whether it grew. In Dearborn, where measurable precipitation falls on about nine to twelve days in most months, drains see a steady schedule of work.
Ice at Edges, Gutters, and Parapets
Ice forms where meltwater meets a cold edge. Water running toward an eave reaches metal that is colder than the roof, freezes, and builds a dam that forces the next melt back under the sheet edge or the flashing. Gutters can pull from their fascia under the weight of ice, and edge metal can bend. We check gutters, downspouts, and edge metal and coping for sagging, open joints, and loose fasteners, and we photograph the damage.
On low-slope roofs with internal drains, dams are less common but can form at perimeter scuppers and parapet drains. The repair re-secures the metal, replaces damaged sections, and reseals joints. If the cause is poor drainage at the edge, the scope proposes a correction instead of a repeat patch.
Freeze-Thaw Damage to Seams and Flashings
The cycle of freezing and thawing is harder on a roof than one big storm. Water in a small crack expands as it freezes and widens it, and the next thaw lets in more. Over a winter, a lap, a flashing joint, or a surface crack can open enough to leak. The leak often shows weeks after the damage began. Photographs taken after a thaw show openings best.
We match interior stains to the roof above, check the flashings and laps upslope, and repair in the order the evidence supports: a flashing failure at a curb, an open lap as described for seam failure, or a cracked surface. When the sheet is too aged to hold a repair, the written findings state the repair boundary and the remaining service life.
Snow Removal, Access, and Planning
Removing snow is not always the answer. Shoveling or blowing snow on a membrane can cut it, and uneven removal can leave an unbalanced load. When snow must come off, the plan limits removal to heavy drift zones, uses plastic tools, leaves a layer on the surface, and works from drains outward. Winter roof access is hazardous, with ice at edges and penetrations hidden under drifts, so safety comes first.
Retail and food-service roofs along Warren Avenue and Michigan Avenue carry vents, hoods, and signs that trap drifts, and they get the same pre-winter walk. A roof that serves a school or a college, such as the University of Michigan-Dearborn campus with its engineering, fieldhouse, and parking-structure buildings, may need a written snow plan that facility staff can follow. The record notes which areas were cleared and why, which were left, and what was observed beneath. Winter work, scheduled around the access window the facility gives us, is paired with emergency response for the storms that outrun the plan.
Commercial Roofing Questions
How do I know whether snow load is a concern on my roof?
The roof shows it: deflection, cracked ceilings below, compressed insulation, or deep drifts against walls and units. Those signs go to a structural engineer for a decision about capacity.
Should snow be removed from a commercial roof?
Only in heavy drift zones, and carefully. Careless removal can cut the membrane, so the plan limits the work to specific areas and leaves a layer of snow on the sheet.
What causes ice dams on a flat commercial roof?
Meltwater refreezing at cold edges, gutters, and perimeter scuppers, which blocks flow and pushes water under the sheet edge. Internal drains can freeze in the same way.
Why does a leak appear weeks after the storm?
Freeze-thaw can open a crack that leaks only when the next thaw arrives. Photographs after each thaw show the sequence.
When should drains be cleared?
Before the first snow and again after the first hard freeze. Each visit is photographed so changes are visible between sets.
What does the repair record contain?
The numbered plan, drift zones, photographs of damaged flashing, metal, and sheet, and a separation of repair items from questions for a structural engineer.
Send the storm date and the first photographs
Send the date of the snowfall, the building address, photographs of ice, drifts, or damage, and the access window. We will return written findings by roof section, protection where it is needed, and a list of items that belong with a structural engineer.
