REPAIRS &MAINTENANCE.
Leaks, ice dams, wind damage, and the checklist that prevents most of it.
- GUIDES
- 5
- GLOSSARY TERMS
- 6
Most roofs don't fail all at once. They fail at a detail: a lifted shingle, a cracked pipe boot, a valley packed with debris, flashing that let go at a wall. Caught early, nearly all of those are small repairs.
This shelf is about finding problems while they're still small, understanding what's causing them, and knowing which ones you can safely look at from the ground.
- Where is my leak actually coming from?
- Why do I get ice dams, and how do I stop them?
- What does wind damage look like?
- What should I check every season?
READ THEM IN THIS ORDER.
- 01Finding a roof leak: where the water is really coming fromThe stain on your ceiling is where the water landed, not where it got in: water runs along the roof boards and rafters first, so the real entry point is usually higher up, at a pipe boot, flashing, a valley or a skylight. Look from the attic and the ground, never from a wet or icy roof, and in a Calgary winter rule out melting attic frost first, because it looks exactly like a leak.
- 02Seasonal roof maintenance checklist for Calgary homesMost roof maintenance is looking, and you can do nearly all of it from the ground and the attic: clean eavestroughs in spring and late fall, check the attic for frost after cold snaps and for stains after heavy rain, and trim branches off the roof. In Calgary, add a look after every hail or wind storm, and call a pro for anything that means walking on the roof.
- 03Ice dams in Calgary: why they form and how to stop themAn ice dam is a ridge of ice along the roof edge that forms when heat leaking into the attic melts the snow and the water refreezes at the cold eaves, then backs up under the shingles. Calgary's chinooks run that melt-and-freeze cycle many times a winter, and the lasting fix is in the attic, with air sealing, insulation and ventilation, not on the roof.
THE BASICS
Plain-language primers. Assume nothing.
Finding a roof leak: where the water is really coming from
The stain on your ceiling is where the water landed, not where it got in: water runs along the roof boards and rafters first, so the real entry point is usually higher up, at a pipe boot, flashing, a valley or a skylight. Look from the attic and the ground, never from a wet or icy roof, and in a Calgary winter rule out melting attic frost first, because it looks exactly like a leak.
Seasonal roof maintenance checklist for Calgary homes
Most roof maintenance is looking, and you can do nearly all of it from the ground and the attic: clean eavestroughs in spring and late fall, check the attic for frost after cold snaps and for stains after heavy rain, and trim branches off the roof. In Calgary, add a look after every hail or wind storm, and call a pro for anything that means walking on the roof.
Wind damage to shingles: what it looks like and what it means
Wind damage shows up as creased, torn, lifted or missing shingles, most often at the eaves, edges and ridges where uplift is strongest. A few missing shingles often means the ones beside them have lost their seal too, so photograph the damage, have the slope checked and read your policy before deciding whether to claim.
Hail damage or wear? Telling shingle problems apart
Hail leaves a random scatter of hits, often soft bruises that still have granules in them, and it usually dents gutters, vents and other soft metal on the house too. Blisters, even granule loss, scuffs along a walking path and popped nails come from age, manufacturing or installation instead, and that difference decides what your insurance covers.
DEEP DIVES
For when you're mid-decision, mid-claim or mid-argument.
THE REPAIRS & MAINTENANCE GLOSSARY.
- Attic frost
- Frost that builds up on the underside of the roof deck when warm, moist household air reaches a cold attic. It can melt and drip like a leak when the weather warms.
- Creased shingle
- A shingle with a line across it where wind lifted and bent it. The crease weakens the shingle, which may not lie flat or shed water as well afterward.
- Granule loss
- Shingles shedding their surface granules, seen as bare patches or granules collecting in the eavestrough. Some loss is normal with age; heavy or patchy loss can point to wear or hail damage.
- Heat cable
- An electric resistance cable clipped along the eaves in a zigzag, often run down the eavestroughs and downspouts. It can relieve ice dam problem spots, but it treats the symptom, not the cause.
- Ice dam
- A ridge of ice at the eave that forms when heat melts snow higher on the roof and the water refreezes at the cold overhang. Water can back up behind it and under the shingles.
- Nail pop
- A roofing nail that has backed out and lifted the shingle above it, creating a spot where water can get in.
