Gogebic County
Chimney Work in Gogebic County
Gogebic County sits at the far western end of the Upper Peninsula, bordering Wisconsin, with Bessemer as the county seat and Ironwood as its largest community. It regularly records the heaviest snowfall in Michigan – well over 200 inches in a strong season – and its mining history left a housing stock built for that climate.
Snow load here is not a seasonal inconvenience, it is a structural condition. Chimneys spend months partly buried, and the masonry never gets the chance to dry out that a chimney downstate gets between storms.
Snow Load and Roof Interaction in Gogebic County
Where a chimney penetrates the roof, sliding snow puts real lateral force on the stack. On the uphill side, snow piles against the masonry and holds meltwater directly against it; on the downhill side, ice dams form where the chimney interrupts the roof plane. Both attack the flashing.
Flashing failure here is the most common single source of the water damage we find inside chimneys. Cricket saddles on the uphill side of a wide chimney divert snow and water around it rather than into it, and in this county they are close to essential rather than optional.