Ice and wind: Hazleton's two roof problems
Most of the repair calls we get from Hazleton come down to two things the mountain has plenty of: ice and wind.
Ice dams are the winter leak. Hazleton's snow sits on the roof longer than it does down in the valley, and heat escaping from the house melts it from underneath. The meltwater runs down to the cold eave, refreezes, and builds a ridge of ice. The water behind it has nowhere to go but under the shingles, and it shows up as stains at the top of exterior walls, around window frames or on upstairs ceilings. We repair the damaged shingles, underlayment and decking at the eave, and if there's no ice barrier there, we explain what adding one would take. We'll also check whether the attic is venting properly, because a warm attic will build the next dam in the same place. Better ventilation is often the real fix.
Wind damage shows up along the edges. Gusts lift tabs along the rakes and eaves, break the sealant bond and eventually peel shingles away. After a big wind, it's worth having the edges checked even if nothing landed in the yard. We replace torn shingles, re-seal lifted tabs that are still sound, and check that the starter course and drip edge are tight. When a storm is the cause, we document it with photos and can meet your adjuster at the house. See our storm damage repair page for more.
Rowhome seams, chimneys and clogged gutters
The older brick and frame rowhomes and double-blocks on Hazleton's downtown grid share rooflines, and the seams between them are a common leak point. When neighbors re-roof at different times with different materials, the joint at the party wall can open up. Water that gets in on one side can travel and show up next door. We inspect the seam from both sides, then rebuild it with underlayment lapped past the joint and new flashing.
Chimneys are another regular. Freeze-thaw on the mountain opens every gap around a chimney, and old flashing sealed with tar or caulk doesn't last long up here. We replace it with step flashing and counter-flashing cut into the mortar joints.
Then there are gutters. On a Hazleton roof, a clogged gutter holds meltwater right at the edge, where it freezes and makes the ice dam bigger. If gutter backup is part of the leak, we'll say so. Gutter cleaning or guards are often part of a lasting repair up here.
One more thing to watch: after a heavy wet snow, look for a new sag in the roofline, upstairs doors that start sticking or fresh ceiling cracks. We'll check the deck and eaves and tell you what we see, and structural questions go to an engineer.
Should you repair or replace before winter?
A roof with sound shingles and one problem spot, like a chimney, a seam or a strip of wind damage, gets a repair. That's what we'll recommend. But a roof that's losing granules everywhere, curling, soft underfoot or already patched several times may not survive a Hazleton winter well, even after a repair. In that case, we'll tell you a roof replacement makes more sense and show you the photos behind that call. If you're on the fence, fall is the time to decide.
In the city, permits go through the City of Hazleton's Code, Licensing and Permits offices at City Hall. West Hazleton and Hazle Township run their own. With the UCC exempting some residential repair work, we check what your repair requires and pull a permit when needed.
Read more on our roof repair page, or compare against a replacement number from the Instant Roof Quote.
More detail on how we handle this work anywhere we serve: Roof Repair. Everything we do in Hazleton: roofing in Hazleton, PA.
