There is no disputing the fact that winter can be a harsh season, particularly for your roof. Maintaining the health of your roof should be an ongoing project that you work on throughout the year. But when winter comes, you need to be much more careful to keep your roof from getting damaged.
The health of your roof is put at risk when snow and extremely cold temperatures combine. If you are not careful, you can find yourself having to pay a lot of money for repairs.
This indicates that during the winter months, you should take precautions to protect your roof. Take a look at the basic roof care activities that you need to take in order to ensure that your roof will remain in good shape throughout the winter months.
1. Quickly clear the snow away.
As soon as you become aware that snow is beginning to accumulate on your roof, you should make every effort to clear it off as soon as possible. When snow and ice come together, the result is a tremendously heavy weight that is left on your roof.
If you let this snow and ice accumulate for long enough, it will turn into an ice dam. The true extent of the devastation won’t become apparent until these dams begin to thaw and then freeze again.
The ice dam will typically melt throughout the day, but then it will refreeze at night when temperatures drop significantly. This is the normal course of events. This results in the shingles being more loose. You will start to notice leaks as soon as your shingles begin to get loose.
During the winter months, clearing snow from your roof can be an intimidating task that requires you to climb onto your roof. This is due to the fact that the roof is typically very slippery. Calling in the experts is your safest bet whenever you want to avoid getting into an accident.
2. Be Sure to Check Your Flashing
Flashing should be inspected right away, even before the onset of winter. This should be one of the very first things you do. It is, however, not too late to check your flashing even if you did not do so before winter arrived because you may still do it during the winter. On the days when the snowfall is not very heavy, you should examine your shingles to see if any of them have grown deformed or have become loose.
In the event that you discover any errors, you should have them repaired as soon as possible. If you let snow and ice accumulate next to damaged flashing, you will definitely end up with a leak.
3. The Condition of your Gutters
Most of the time, gutters are quite vulnerable to the effects of freezing weather. This indicates that you should be sure to check on them frequently over the winter.
This is because the gutters are a common location for the formation of ice dams. If you look up at your gutters and find icicles dangling from them, this is a sign that there is already a buildup that you need to address as soon as possible.
One of the most significant threats is that the weight of the ice will force your gutters to become brittle and eventually break. It’s possible that your gutters will give way if this happens.
If something like this occurs, you may plan on spending a lot of money on repairs. This is due to the fact that not only will the gutters be harmed, but the region from which it tears itself away is also likely to become injured.
The most important thing to remember is that whenever you notice ice dams accumulating in your gutters, you should act quickly to remove them.
4. Serious Risk of Wind Damage
The harmful impacts that snow and ice can have have been described up to this point. Nevertheless, one of the most significant worries during the winter is wind damage.
If you get word that a huge storm is heading your way during the winter or that a major storm has just passed through your area, you should constantly check your roof. Do not make the assumption that everything is fine without more investigation.
During this assessment, be on the lookout for any shingles that are cracked or missing altogether. If you don’t take care of the problem as soon as you realize there’s damage to it, one of two things could end up happening.
The first and most noticeable problem that will arise is that water will start to seep in through your ceiling. Mold, mildew, and bacteria are all things that have the potential to begin growing in the region where there has been damage. This is the second thing that could happen.
If you want to keep your roof repair costs to a minimum, it is imperative that you fix any wind damage as soon as possible.
5. Cut Back Overgrown Branches and Clean Up the Area
As soon as winter arrives, one of the first things you should do is prune any trees that are hanging over someone else’s property.
Next, clear away any debris that may be on your roof and in the spaces surrounding it. This indicates that you should clean the debris out of the flashing, the gutters, and the downspouts. When you clear away debris, there is no longer an opportunity for moisture to condense on the items.
When moisture has the opportunity to settle on debris, it can lead to rotting as well as the growth of mildew. Because of this, you absolutely must move immediately. Debris can be swept away with a broom before winter arrives.
It is common for the removal of debris to become somewhat more challenging during the winter months. Due to the fact that the roof will be damp and slick. Take every precaution, or better yet, engage a specialist to handle it for you.
6. Don’t Forget to Check Your Attic Space
The presence of a leaking roof or inadequate ventilation in the attic can be problematic during the colder months. If the ventilation in your attic is inadequate, then it will grow moist.
To keep condensation from forming in the attic during the winter, make sure there is enough ventilation before the season starts.
Attics are a favorite place for ice dams to form. When completing your pre-winter inspections as well as inspections during the winter, do not forget to have a look at how well your attic is holding up. Leaks can be caused by damaged shingles, therefore, it is important to make sure that there are no damaged shingles.
Roofing Maintenance During the Winter
It is vital to perform roof maintenance during the winter. Your roof may sustain damage if it is exposed to freezing temperatures for an extended period of time.
Being proactive is the best action that you can take. Start doing roof inspections well in advance of the onset of winter.
Nevertheless, even if you did not have the opportunity to do your inspections before winter, you may still prevent damage to your roof by simply being observant. This indicates that you should conduct an investigation as soon as possible after seeing the formation of ice dams on your roof.
If ice dams start building in your gutter, you should clear them out as soon as possible. If a storm is coming your way or has just passed through, you should do an emergency inspection.
WIW Roofing provides dependable and high-quality service for all of your company’s roofing requirements. Cold weather can cause problems with your roof, but you can avoid them by having one of our professionals check it out as soon as possible. Give us a call today to book a free estimate!