Roofs, pumps, downspouts: What Edmonton homeowners should check as snow melts

After weeks of deep freeze-like cold and consistent snow, Edmonton began a quick melt on Tuesday, meaning it's going to be a busy couple of weeks for roofers and home repair companies.

Edmonton had 42 centimetres of snow depth, the most for mid-January since 2014.

"We do have enough snow up there that much more snow is going to start smothering the heat rise vents coming out of the house, and that's where your ice dam problems start," said Gil Olsen with Advanced Roofing Systems.

If enough ice dams are formed, and the snow isn't cleared, water can back up and come into the home, he added.

"As a result, you can have ceiling damage, you can have insulation damage, and it's not fun to deal with."

As snow melts it also becomes heavier, explained a NAIT construction engineering professor.

"If we get too much load on the roof, then we get the potential for what we would phrase as a catastrophic failure where we could get a roof collapse," Ken Williams explained

So how much snow is too much snow? Well, Williams said it depends on the density, not the depth.

"It'd be like comparing a cube of aluminum to the same size cube of lead. One obviously weighs a lot more than the other."

You shouldn't stop at just checking your roof, a home inspector told CTV news Edmonton.

It's also a good idea to do a walk around of your house to check eavestroughs, downspouts and sump pumps for any blockages.

"The diffusion of water from your house to the ground is a major component to the health of your home," said registered home inspector Matt Morris.

And while there is some maintenance you can do on your own, another professional issued a caution for anyone thinking of climbing on an icy roof.

"Because it's slippery and there's thin ice underneath the snow so it makes it pretty dangerous," said Jonathan Dupont with Advanced Roofing Systems.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jessica Robb