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. 

Ice storm 2013 in northern NY

The photos presented of the 2013 Ice Storm in northern NY were all snapped at or close to my home in the village of Chaumont. I was one of the lucky ones who never lost electric service. I did, however, lose my cable TV because a tree limb landed on that particular wire tearing it from the utility pole. The service remains out on this Christmas Eve. It is my understanding that there are still many thousands without electricity. That will make for a memorable Christmas for those folks. Most of the photos are self explanatory. Tree damage in my front and back yard. A Maple tree in the back split, half falling on a portion of the backyard fence. There is a tall Pine in the backyard that lost a lot of limbs. A view from the front porch. A street scene or two. These photos were all snapped Saturday and Sunday.

The following is an e-mail I sent to my bosses at SMG letting them know how I was faring in the ice. With a driving ban in place and the possibilty of more ice and damge to my home I wanted to give them a heads up in case I was unable to work for them the next day:

Well, I have numerous tree limbs down and one of them severed my tv cable. I am one of the lucky ones whose power has not been lost. However, there is a no driving ban In effect. I spent good portion of today cutting tree limbs from my phone wires and some large branches weighing down the power line to my house. It was a dicey operation as I was worried the power line might break any time. About an hour ago the rain resumed and its below 30 degrees. If this continues I may wake up to some real trouble in the morning. I don't think my power lines to the house can take much more. Gary
Sent from my iPhone

On Dec 22, 2013, at 10:39 AM