How To Prepare Your Roof For The Winter Weather

If you want to protect your home from possible damage during the winter season, it’s crucial to prepare your roof for the snow and cold.

Taking necessary precautions ahead of time will allow you to enjoy the holiday season and snow without worries, disruptions and roof repair hassles. Besides, climbing on your roof and fixing it when it’s snowing or raining means putting your life at risk, so it’s best to prepare your roof for the winter weather.

There are many ways in which you can do it, and these include the following:

       ·       Ask Professionals For A Checkup

Unless you’re knowledgeable about everything related to roofing, it’s wise to get a professional help in looking everything over from roofers like rooftroop.com. This checkup can be helpful in handling small problems before they become serious. It’s also safer for you to know the risks you’ll be facing before winter is upon you.

       ·       Clean The Gutters

Gutters are an essential part of your roof, and it’s important to check them before winter. The reason behind this is that debris accumulation and clogged gutters can result in an array of problems, especially during winter.

The primary function of gutters is to lead the melted snow and rainwater down and away from your home and roof. When your gutters aren’t working properly, you could face some serious roofing damages and problems.

Water pooling may occur on your roof, which can result in water damage and leaks. Other than that, it's at high risk of ice formation during winter. Luckily, these can be minimized or avoided by inspecting and cleaning your gutters regularly. It’s best to do this at least twice a year, and one of those times must be in the fall before winter.

Aside from cleaning, ensure that everything is tightly secured and fitted, as loose gutters may lead to water overflows. You may also install a gutter guard to reduce the debris and dirt that fall in.

       ·       Check Your Roof Shingles

A roof isn’t complete without shingles, as they provide protection to your house. Old shingles frequently suffer from wear and tear that could result in several issues if not fixed, most particularly during winter.

Inspecting shingles before winter will allow you to discover any potential areas that may cause loss of granules, loosening and so on. As soon you see any such issues with your roofing shingles, you should hire experts to do roofing repairs to avoid damage throughout the winter season.

       ·       Check Your Attic

When checking your roof, you should always take a look around your attic. The goal is to ensure that it has lots of evenly distributed insulation to keep the heat in.

Exiting heat causes lots of trouble. For example, heat trapped under your roof shingles can result in ice dam formation. Ice dams are a sequence of freezing and melting snow that damages your roof easily and increases your heating bills.

       ·       Inspect Your Flashing

Your roof’s flashing might wear down over time, which causes leaks within your home. Left unchecked, these leaks can cause more permanent roof damage. Thus, it’s best to check the regions surrounding the flashing of your roof. You can also hire a professional roof assessor to inspect it more thoroughly and make sure that it’s sealed.

If your flashing is compromised, you’ll need the help of a roofing professional to fix the leaks. Flashing must be checked once or twice yearly, to ensure that snow storms won’t knock it loose.

       ·       Check And Replace Sealant If Needed

If your roof has plumbing stacks, antennas or brick stacks, you must check the sealer around the base of such features. If you’re inexperienced in this matter, have a professional check it. Caulk and sealer could wear in the long run. There’s no way to get around it; you need to protect your roof from damage by replacing any sealant that has become worn out or cracked.

       ·       Trim The Trees

As mentioned above, clear gutters are essential for your roof’s protection. So, it only makes sense to trim the trees around your gutters to avoid blocks and clogs as part of your roof maintenance. Remove dry or dead branches. Trimming trees may also prevent rodents from accessing your house, and get rid of heavy branches which could fall onto your roof.

Conclusion

Not paying attention to your roofing before winter can result in damages that might go unnoticed until the spring, or even bigger incidents that may need immediate attention and put your family at risk. By considering the above ways to prepare your roof for winter, you can rest assured that your roof will keep in tip-top shape, regardless of how harsh the winter weather is.