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Snow Removal in Great Falls is Extra Difficult in an Extra Snowy Winter

By Rachel Ousley

Story Created: Feb 23, 2011 at 8:26 PM MDT

Story Updated: Feb 24, 2011 at 5:42 PM MDT

With the recent few inches of snow, Great Falls has surpassed the record for snowiest February. This means residents are working extra hard when it comes to snow removal. It has been such a white winter that Ace Hardware on 10th Ave South is nearly out of their snow removal gear.

When you walk into Ace Hardware the first thing you see is a wall of snow removal tools. However, that wall is just about all that’s left. They are completely out of snow blowers and down to the minimum of shovels. February seems a bit late in the season to buy a shovel, but a hard winter may be exactly why shovels are needed now. Assistant Manager of Ace Hardware, Danny Dormady, believes a lot of people’s old shovels are breaking and wearing down from excess use, so now is the time for a new one.

Streets, driveways, and sidewalks are typically what people think of when it comes to snow removal. What about roofs? Houses are built with slanted roofs where snow can easily melt and run off. Commercial roofs have a low slope, which is generally flat. Project Manager at ABC Roofing, Matt Dockter, says in extreme cases heavy snow can cause a roof to collapse. He says in Montana the main problems snow causes for roofs are where seams, transitions, and pipes are. Dockter adds that the freezing and thawing can open up small defects and cause leaking.

Flat roofs have drains or gutters attached to the roof where melted snow can drain off. It’s extremely important that these drains be kept clear or Dockter says the result could be a pond on top of your roof or worse.

Dockter says roofs tend to be one of those out of sight out of mind things. The problem with that is Dockter believes roofs need to be treated like cars: preventive maintenance is the best policy. He strongly encourages everyone to routinely check their roofs to catch problems before they occur.

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