My Personal Ice Jam

Spring may be in the air, but I’m a little concerned with the floods that may come with it. The pile of snow is still a good two feet deep in front of my place, and across the courtyard the pile resembles a small hill.

As I was coming in my door the other day I felt a plop of water drop on my head and looked up, only to see the eaves trough with a continuous drip. This is the source of that slippery patch I keep finding in front of my door. The sun shines on the snow in the morning, melts some of the snow, it drips on the sidewalk and freezes when the temperature drops at night.

Only this time I looked above the eaves and was surprised to find about eight inches of solid ice covered in another eight inches of snow. The eaves trough is still in place but the weight may prove too much if it loosens from the roof. I looked about at the other units and no one else seemed to have the same buildup of ice.

Then I realized it’s all about direction and the movement of the sun. No, I’m not becoming a science nerd, but even I know the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

I get morning sun on my front door, but only for a short time as the sun is positioned low in the sky and passes behind the roof too quickly. I suppose it’s just enough sun to start the melt in these milder days, but not enough to soften the ice to where it would slide off. Some of the units that get more sun have no ice and very little snow remaining on their roof.

I guess I should let the property manager know, so he can break up the ice before it causes any damage to the eaves trough or the roof. And to be sure, I’ll be looking over my head before walking out too far, just in case.