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Recent Snow And Ice Could Be Fiddling With Your Roof

By Michelle Durham

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - As you battled your way through the drastic weather changes over the past several weeks, imagine the toll it has taken on your roof!

Owner of Buddy Heileman Shingle Roofing in Northeast Philadelphia, Buddy is a busy man these days. He's receiving a lot of calls from customers requesting he check their roof.

Heileman has 40 years experience, and he says the most common problem is at this time of year is, "a lot of ice damming. Once the gutters freeze up on the roof and once the snow melt starts to come down it can't get in the gutter. Usually it backs up into the house at that point."

What can the homeowner do in this situation? "Take the gutter off the edge of the roof. Let everything get off the roof so it can't back up into the house. That is normally what we do."

And for those who need a new roof? Heileman says the most important part of any roofing contract is the installation itself. If the roof is not installed correctly, the roofing manufacturer will not honor the warranty, so choosing a reputable contractor is critical.

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