5 Tips To Help Protect Your Roof This Winter
Categories: Roof Inspections | Roof Repair
With the right care, your home’s roof could serve you well for many years to come. However, the winter months can be especially rough on your home’s roof, and can even cause serious damage if you don’t take steps to make sure it stays healthy. During the winter, you need a good solid roof over your head to make sure that you and your family are able to stay warm and keep you protected from the cold weather outside. You want to be sure that your roof stays in great condition and doesn’t incur any damage so that it can last you for as long as possible. To help you in this process, we have included a short list of some tips you can follow to help keep your roof protected this winter both before snow starts falling and after.
Check Your Roof Carefully
Even if you aren’t a roofer, you can still perform a cursory visual inspection of your roof before the snow has piled up too high. Snow and ice can add up to a lot of weight, so it is important to make sure everything is thoroughly checked. If you can safely do it, get up on your roof and look for cracked, blistered, or missing shingles. It is also good to check the flashing, vents, and gutters for any cracks or broken areas. Anything broken on your roof is a spot for winter to invade your home, so it pays to be thorough. If you don’t feel that you can get up on your roof safely or that you wouldn’t know what to look for, you can always hire a professional roofing contractor to come out and do the inspection for you.
Clean Your Gutters
When your gutters fill up with snow, they will eventually freeze and cause an ice dam. Ice dams prevent water from flowing off of your roof, so it tends to seep down into your home, causing water damage. You can help to prevent ice dams by breaking out the ladder and making sure your gutters are clear of any leftover autumn debris. It is also good to make sure that there is plenty of room at the bottom of your downspouts for water to flow away from your foundation.
Trim Nearby Trees
Make sure you check the branches of any trees that hang out over your roof. If any of these are dying or diseased, they could easily break under the weight of fresh snow or ice, falling and causing damage to your roof and gutters. Even if they don’t cause damage, they can still contribute to the forming of ice dams or absorb water and add undue weight to the roof of your home.
Break Out The Roof Rake
A roof rake is basically a long handled rake that is designed to pull snow off of your roof. Your roof can typically handle about 4 feet of snow before the weight becomes an issue, but snow can compress and freeze over time, making this a less than exact measurement, so it’s best to clear it off the roof while it’s still light.
Get Repairs Before The First Storms
Making sure you have any repairs for your roof taken care of professionally can help you save a lot of time, money, and headache if you get them done before the weather turns bad. Winter storms make roofing work very dangerous and difficult, meaning that you will likely end up paying more for your repairs and having to deal with delays due to bad weather.
