When it comes to cold weather problems, most Calgary homeowners aren’t that worried about mold and asbestos. But, as years of experience have taught us, they often should be.
Here is why: When snow and ice build up on top of your roof, one of two things can happen. In the first case, it could cause cracks and leaks. Once the roof starts letting in any kind of frozen water, the ensuing melting brings moisture down into your home. After any amount of time, even just a couple of days, that’s very likely to lead to mold.
Even worse, because the cracks and moisture might not be seen or noticed at first, the mold colony could have a chance to grow and flourish, meaning that the damage could be extensive by the time its discovered and evaluated.
The second issue with letting snow and ice pile up on your roof is that it can actually cause a structural collapse. It isn’t unusual, even in this day and age, for builders to find asbestos is present once a roof caves in. And if it is, that leads to a whole other set of problems that have to be resolved quickly for the sake of your own health and safety.
So, how do you prevent problems with mold and asbestos as a result of troublesome winter weather? The first step is obviously to keep your roof in good shape and stop moisture from making its way into your home. Beyond that, any Calgary home that was built before 1990 should be checked for asbestos, since it can be found in a surprisingly high number of building materials.
