About this blog title

I cannot tell you how many times I have shown up at events with a couple of cameras around my neck, a gadget bag full of odds & ends and a lighting kit and have been asked that question. If it happened once every few years, that would be one thing. But it happens a LOT. It's like getting pulled over by the police and he's standing there with uniform, gun, flashing lights and asking him "Are you a cop?" I would love to come back with a witty reply, such as "No, I am Jesus. Don't you recognize my beard?" However, I cannot be that rude.


Thursday, January 2, 2014

Ice on roof buckles wood stove chimney

A 6 to 8 inch layer of ice began to slide off the roof overnight. The weight of it squeezed the chimney as if it were in a vice causing it to buckle.
So far this has proven to be a severe Winter. It was 7 below zero this morning. A week or so ago we had an ice storm that left a lot of people without power. It rained a lot at freezing temperatures. Then it got cold enough to snow. The snow covered the ice. Then it warmed again enough for some of the snow to melt, then froze again, causing another layer of ice on top of the original ice. This warming, thawing, freezing cycle has occurred quite a few times. The result is a layer of compact snow and ice everywhre that is hard as rock. This past Saturday I lit a fire in the wood stove and noticed the chimney draft was weak. I go outside and see that the thick layer of ice on my roof began to move during the night and put so much weight against the chimney in buckled over. I spent Sunday trying to get the ice off the roof so as to be able to repair the chimney. I got so wore out that I only got half the roof cleared. Today about an 8 inch slab of ice remains on the roof, around the chimney. Being below zero I think I must abandon the ice removal until the weekend when it is supposed to get into 30+ degree weather.
I snapped this view from a lower, adjacent section of roof. The chimney should be standing perfectly upright. 

3 comments:

  1. Wow. That must be so tough for you. The weather has just been horrible lately that it’s been damaging the rooftops and chimneys of people across the country. 8 inches of snow? My, that must be heavy. And with the constant heating and cooling of the ice near your chimney, the ice is really going to continually harden as the days go by.

    Claire Mendoza

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    Replies
    1. This has been a hard Winter. We have not had one like this in probably 5+ years. I have gotten the chimney repaired. I added some things to the roof that will slow down or hault the advance of the ice in future so it will not put so much stress on the chimney and chimney braces.

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