Melting Snow Slides Off Rooftop Solar Panels And Damages Cars In Hoffman Estates, Causes Danger On Roofs Across Area
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. (CBS) -- A new problem has arisen from all the snow and ice that has piled up through the month of February.
With temperatures above freezing at last, it's starting to melt - and it's crashing down in the worst possible ways.
As CBS 2's Charlie De Mar reported Monday night, one suburban homeowner figured it all out the hard way.
We have shown you multiple times in recent weeks how the weight of the snow has caused roof collapses. While those continued Monday night too, the slight warm up now comes with a whole new set of problems.
Marko Popovic of Hoffman Estates examined his cars late Monday. One of them had a smashed windshield.
"You can see the glass and the fragments shattered," he said.
Overnight Sunday into Monday, a massive sheet of snow and ice slid off Popovic's solar panels.
"I heard a rumbling - almost like a mini earthquake, or like a train coming by the house," he said.
The heavy snow crashed down on Popovic's cars - smashing the windshield on one and landing square on the roof of the other.
"If you look on top, it's got a caved in roof," Popovic said.
Popovic said the snow all came from the roof.
"Ice or snow can fall off a roof even if there's no solar panels on it, and it still cause damage," said Adam Perri of Wind Free Solar.
Perri said snow and ice tend to slide right off of the slick panels. He suggests installing guards to prevent damage
The weather on Monday also caused a roof collapse at Harrison Street and Kolmar Avenue on Chicago's West Side. In River Forest, a chunk of ice broke a gas meter regulator – and gas leaked into several homes.
The melting snow also made pretty icicles on one house in Skokie. But ice dams can tear off gutters, loosen shingles, and even cause water to back up into homes.
And in Evanston, the weight of the ice tore down power lines.
Back in Hoffman Estates, Popovic said: "I was getting a little worried about the roof collapsing, but I didn't think it was going to collapse my cars. But at least nobody got hurt."
It may be tempting to get on the roof and try to clear off yourself. But firefighters say that is not a good idea – getting a roof rake and dealing with the problem from the ground, or hiring a professional, is the way to go.
