Alan in Vermont
12-29-2013, 09:07 PM
We had a pretty severe ice storm here in VT over last weekend. Several inches of rain soaked sleet that covered a layer of snow and froze solid. Not much tree damage or power outages in this area but at one point the largest utility had 40,000 customers without power statewide.
The clubhouse at Sportsman's Club of Franklin County is something like 40' x 70', standing seam metal roof on 4/12 pitch. As of yesterday afternoon the entire roof was covered with about a 4-5" think ice floe. That ice floe surrounded the furnace chimney and a plumbing vent.
It warmed up during the night and the ice on one side of the roof broke loose, in one sheet. The chimney and vent were the only things keeping gravity from it's duty.
Then the chimney gave up the fight. It broke off just below roof level. Apparently the plumbing vent snapped off inside the boot and the ice rode over it as it is still in place but waaaaay out of plumb.
I suspect it would have been quite the sight, had one been there, to see the chimney fall from grace. There is a big dip where it apparently hit the roof as it broke over, the sheathing is broken at the least and maybe the top chord of a truss is going to need repair.
Either the chimney was rolling when it came off the roof as it is resting comfortably 10-15' out form the building, way past where the ice sheet is all crumbled up under the eaves.
One bright spot is that it was flashed with lead. Which is now residing in the back of my car. :)
The clubhouse at Sportsman's Club of Franklin County is something like 40' x 70', standing seam metal roof on 4/12 pitch. As of yesterday afternoon the entire roof was covered with about a 4-5" think ice floe. That ice floe surrounded the furnace chimney and a plumbing vent.
It warmed up during the night and the ice on one side of the roof broke loose, in one sheet. The chimney and vent were the only things keeping gravity from it's duty.
Then the chimney gave up the fight. It broke off just below roof level. Apparently the plumbing vent snapped off inside the boot and the ice rode over it as it is still in place but waaaaay out of plumb.
I suspect it would have been quite the sight, had one been there, to see the chimney fall from grace. There is a big dip where it apparently hit the roof as it broke over, the sheathing is broken at the least and maybe the top chord of a truss is going to need repair.
Either the chimney was rolling when it came off the roof as it is resting comfortably 10-15' out form the building, way past where the ice sheet is all crumbled up under the eaves.
One bright spot is that it was flashed with lead. Which is now residing in the back of my car. :)