How to Prepare Your Roof For Winter
The frosty fall and winter months can be rough on your home. For this reason, it is crucial to evaluate the condition of your home’s roof and prepare it for the season. Safeguarding it against the severe damage that harsh weather can cause will prolong its lifespan and ensure that your family is safe, warm, and cozy. Here are the ways to winterize your roof.
Assess the Framework
By assessing the roof’s framework, a residential roofing contractor can identify minor issues before they become bigger problems and affect your home’s structural integrity during the cold month.
This expert can also define the best way to address the issue to ensure that your roof is ready for winter. For example, they can replace a roof if they identify a sagging framework or repair the roof to address leaks.
Examine the Shingles
Organizing regular roof maintenance is one of the most effective ways of preparing your roof for the harsh winter weather. During this maintenance, a professional roofing contractor will inspect the shingles to see whether there are signs of loose or curling ones. The expert can also replace the missing shingles to ensure that your roof can withstand rain and strong wind.
Clean the Roof
Your roof normally accumulates dirt, leaves, and seeds throughout the year. If you leave this debris to settle during fall and winter, it will start collecting moisture and facilitating the growth of mold and algae. Some roofing materials may even begin to rot.
Consequently, you may have to do a roof replacement or expensive repairs. The best way to protect your roof from these roofing issues is to use an air blower or large broom to clear the debris before winter starts.
Gutter Cleaning
Another way to ensure that your roof is winter-ready is by removing any dirt or debris from your gutters. If the cold weather sets in before you do the cleaning, fall leaves, ice, and rainwater may clog the drains and create ice dams.
This excess weight from the overflowing gutters will strain and weaken your roofing system and the siding. Cleaning your gutters prepares them to handle the rainwater and melting ice. You should also hire an expert to replace worn-out gutters and tighten any loose gutters before winter starts.
Inspect the Flashing
The area around the roof’s flashing is crucial because it diverts water from the roof and protects your house from water damage. However, it is also very vulnerable to leaks.
Additionally, the strong winter wind may knock these flashing off and make them loose. This can create a space for water and moisture to leak through the roof and into the ceiling. To avoid these issues, a roofing contractor should inspect the flashing to ensure that it has a tight seal.
Inspect Roof’s Valleys
The roof’s valleys are likely to develop leaks which can further damage the walls and ceiling. A roofing contractor can prevent these issues by thoroughly inspecting the roof’s valleys and cleaning them to clear any debris.
This reduces the strain that these components of the roofs are likely to experience when the cold weather kicks in. It also extends the lifespan of your roof.
Check the Chimney
The roofing contractor should also inspect the chimney to check whether everything is in place. He or she should replace any missing mortar pieces and insecure bricks. If other parts of the chimney need repair, the contractor can do the work as long as he can perform masonry. Alternatively, you can hire a masonry contractor.
Insulate the Attic
The attic is integral to your roof, especially during the cold winter season. This is because it helps your home to retain heat and keep your family comfortable. However, it is easy to forget it during a roof inspection.
A home that lacks enough attic insulation loses a lot of heat and has high energy bills during winter. Moreover, it is likely to have ice dams since the heat gets trapped under the shingles. These ice dams will weaken your roof and reduce its lifespan.
Poor attic ventilation can also destroy your roof by heating it from the inside and outside. Therefore, the professional inspecting your roof should ensure that the attic has adequate insulation. He should also replace the insulator if it looks frayed or brittle.
Trim Overgrown Trees
Trimming the overgrown trees next to your home is also an effective way of preparing your roof for winter. This is because when a storm comes, these plants can break and fall on the roof.
Moreover, the ice melting from the trees can form ice dams on your roof and damage the roof’s siding. Fall leaves falling from the shrubs can also accumulate and block the gutters. For this reason, trim the plants and remove any weak branches that may threaten your roof and create the need for roof replacement.
Professional Roof Inspection
Scheduling regular roof inspection is a significant component of roof maintenance and winterizing. During this session, the roofing contractor checks whether the roof is in perfect condition. Also, he identifies and fixes any potential issues that may affect the roof’s performance during the cold weather. This roof check-up can prevent expensive roof repair or replacement in the future.
In summary, your roof is an essential component of your home and should be on your priority list as you prepare your home for winter. Implementing the above tips before the cold weather starts will help you prevent winter roofing problems and enable your home to withstand the coming storms. If you are unsure about your roof’s current condition, consider calling Pierce Roofing to inspect it before the cold season arrives.
