Ice Dams Wreak Havoc on Meriden Commercial Buildings

1/13/2021 (Permalink)

Ice dam water damage can affect multiple areas of your Meriden commercial property.

When heavy snowstorms come through Connecticut, many Meriden commercial buildings take steps for snow removal. But, when snow isn’t also removed from the roof, ice dams can form. 

How Can Ice Dams Damage Commercial Buildings? 

When ice dams form on the roof of commercial buildings, they can cause many different types of damages. 

1. Roof Damage
2. Water Damage
3. Mold Growth
4. Structural Damage

1 - Roof Damage

Depending on the type of roofing on your commercial property, varying levels of damage may be caused. If your building has a flat roof, the weight of an ice dam can cause it to seriously bow or bend, although this can occur on pitched roofs as well. Regardless of the type of commercial roofing, ice dams cause roof leaks. Roof leaks from snow can affect multiple components of the roof and require repair or replacement if the issue is not addressed for a long period of time. 

2 - Water Damage

Since ice dams cause your roof to leak, they naturally cause water damage. Water damage may affect multiple areas of your commercial property. You may notice wet roof insulation, water dripping through ceilings, water stains, buckling or bending walls or floors, or bubbling paint. The signs of water damage from an ice dam on your roof is usually fairly obvious. 

3 - Mold Growth

Once water leaks into your commercial property, it’s likely for mold to begin to grow. This is because mold thrives on moisture. You’ll likely find mold in dark, moist places affected by your ice dam. 

4 - Structural Damage

Ice dams cause structural damage to your commercial property in multiple ways when they’re ignored. They can compromise the structure of your roof, and the water damage that results from them can lead to rotting wood. This can harm the structural integrity of your building, and result in ceilings, walls, or floors to bend, bow, and in the worst cases cave in. 

Address Ice Dams on Your Commercial Building

The damages caused by ice dams to your commercial property can be extensive. Fortunately, when you take fast action against ice dams, many of these damages can be avoided. 

To deal with an ice dam on your roof, take the following steps:

• Have the ice dam removed. The sooner the dam is removed, the less likely it is to cause damage to your roof and allow water to leak inside of your commercial property. Call a professional for ice dam removal.

• File an insurance claim. If you weren’t able to remove the ice dam before it caused water damage inside of your property, you’ll want to file an insurance claim. This way, all damages will be fully addressed by a water damage restoration company. 

• Call SERVPRO of Meriden for ice dam water damage restoration. It’s better to not try and handle the water damage yourself to be sure your property is completely dried out. SERVPRO of Meriden works directly with your insurance company and can handle every aspect of commercial water damage repair.

• Learn how to prevent ice dams in the future. If you’ve had an ice dam once, you’re likely to have one form again. Unless you take steps to prevent ice dams from forming on your commercial roof, you’ll have to pay for removal after every heavy snowstorm. You can work with a roofing company to create solutions for your building to prevent dams from forming.

Need Commercial Ice Dam Water Damage Restoration? Call SERVPRO 24/7 - 800-734-3213