As the wintertime chill starts to set in, many of us are prepping for the upcoming holiday season. However, as a homeowner, it’s your responsibility to ensure that your home and its roof are properly prepared to take on the cold winter weather. To prepare your roof for winter, we’re going to share with you some key steps to ensure that your home stays safe.
Trim Back Trees
One of the biggest hazards to your residential roof is trees. They are a double threat with their branches and their leaves. You can do yourself a world of good by trimming back any tree branches that are hanging over or near your roof. Even if the tree seems healthy, a large influx of snow or ice can cause the branch to break under pressure. You don’t want that branch falling full boar into your roof and creating damage.
Clean Your Gutters
If you have trees near your home, leaves can be a real problem. When they get trapped in your gutters, they can bind up the flow of water. When this happens, water will back up underneath your shingles and penetrate your underlayment roofing material. It only takes a little water damage to drastically deteriorate your home’s structure.
When you clean out your gutters, ensure that you don’t forget your downspouts. Make sure that all of your downspouts shoot out at least three feet from your home for adequate drainage.
Assess Your Flashing
When there are protrusions in your roof for things like chimneys and vents, there is a metal flashing that gets installed. This sits up against the chimney and bends down over your existing shingles. This flashing material works to divert water that flows down your chimney onto your shingles.
This watertight seal prevents moisture damage from happening around your chimney and vents. Before the winter season hits, it’s a good idea to inspect your flashing. Make sure that it’s properly in place and that it doesn’t move freely. Over time, it’s not uncommon for flashing to become loose or even go missing from your roof.
Get a Professional Inspection
As part of your annual roof maintenance, you should be getting a routine inspection by a licensed professional like Paramount Roofing to prepare your roof for winter. It doesn’t matter if you have a residential or commercial roof. They both need to be inspected each year. A professional will be looking at multiple things.
From the age of your shingles to the position of your gutters, they will let you know if there are any problems. Additionally, a professional will be able to let you know how much longer your shingle will last so that you can plan your budget accordingly.
Inspect Your Insulation
While you may be solely focused on the exterior of your roof, it’s also essential to pay attention to what’s going on beneath it. During the wintertime, the warm air that your heating system produces will naturally rise. Without adequate insulation, that heat will make its way up to your shingles and cause snow and ice to melt.
This can lead to unwanted ice damming due to the thawing and freezing of your roof. The best way to prevent damming is to ensure that you have adequate insulation. The thicker that barrier is between the inside of your home and your roofing materials, the less likely your home’s internal temperature is going to affect your shingles. Make sure that your insulation is in good condition and is equal to or exceeds the recommended R-value for your area of the country.
Fix Any Issues to Prepare Your Roof For Winter
Whether you need a few damaged shingles replaced or a whole new roof installation now is the time to do it. You want to hash out any roof issues before the weather turns. Wintertime typically brings snow and ice that can hang around on your roof for days and even weeks on end. You need to ensure that your roof will withstand the adverse elements without causing any water damage to your home’s structure and interior.
Being a homeowner comes along with a lot of responsibilities. One of the most important is taking care of your roof to ensure that it will protect you and your family from the harsh wintertime elements. By implementing the various tasks that we went over above, you can properly prepare your home’s roof to take on all that this upcoming winter season has to offer.