Homes in Park City deal with conditions that many homes in the country never have experience. Our extreme winter put home systems to the test and can actually cause them to wear faster.

In this article, we will look at three reasons why Park City roofing systems wear faster than roofing systems in most places in the U.S.

Heavy Snow Accumulation

There are several ways that cold and snow can cause damage to your roof but heavy snow accumulation is something that will cause your roof to wear faster.

Heavy snow accumulation puts extra weight on your roof which accelerates the wear and tear of most roofing surfaces.

Heavy snow accumulation can also cause roof collapses like we say last year in Park City (read story here). While roof collapses are uncommon, they do occur and will cause severe damage to your home.

Ice dams

Snow accumulation will also make your roof susceptible to ice daming. An ice dam is a ridge of ice that forms at the edge of a roof and prevents melting snow (water) from draining off the roof.

Ice dams are found in the valley’s and eaves of a home's roof and can extend down to the ground. Ice dams can grow to weigh thousands of pounds and can pose severe threats to homes and people.

Ice dams form from a complex interaction between the amount of heat loss from your home, the outside temperature, and snow cover.

For ice dams to form, you need there to be snow on a roof, the outside temperature must be below 32 degrees F on average, and the higher portions of your roof must be above 32 degrees F.

When these three factors happen in harmony over sustained periods, ice dams form.

As this happens over and over, the ice dam builds in size, and the potential harm to your roof grows.

Ice Dams can pull shingles off of roofs, tear down gutters, penetrate metal roofs, puncture holes, and break through roofs.

Not taking care of ice dam problems will reduce the lifespan of any roof.

Extreme Temperature Fluctuations

Extreme weather fluctuation that occur in the fall and spring in Park City can cause thermal shock in your roofing materials.

Thermal shock is a condition that occurs when a drastic temperature change occurs within a 24 to 36-hour time period.

Park City mornings are often quite cold even in Spring and Fall, while the day can reach 50 to 60 degrees.

This extreme change in temperature causes the roof membrane to expand and contract quickly, which can tear open seams, flashing joints, and attachment points on the roof.

This happens over and over and causes your roof to wear faster than normal.

Conclusion

Winter in Park City puts homes under extra stress that causes roofs to wear faster than normal.

Heavy snowfall, ice dams, and extreme temperature fluctuations forces roofing materials to operate in less than ideal conditions in Park City.