It is literally homeowner’s nightmare to wake up in the middle of January and find out that home’s roof is leaking or damaged in any other way. Furthermore, as temperatures in winter become warmer and warmer, you risk getting the roof completely destroyed by the end of the cold season. Without any doubts, it’s much easier to prevent roof damage and leaking than to deal with such issues on the spot. So we offer you a small guide of five tips to ensure that your roof is in good condition and won’t get destroyed by spring.
1. Clean out the gutters
Rain gutters were designed to help your roof with water and protect your porch from it. Yet, many people forget about the main function of these inventions and just let them collect old leaves. Packed-full rain gutters will eventually lead to significantly increased possibility of ice dams. Furthermore, the gutters themselves may get filled with ice and snow and pose a new risk of roof collapse and development of rotting processes underneath.
Actually, the best time to clean your gutters and prevent complex roof damage is autumn when all leaves fall to the ground. Yet, if you forgot to do so or just had no time, it’s never too late! Better clean the gutters in January, than don’t clean them at all.
2. Ice dams
Ice dams occur when the roof damage is in its beginning. Most often these are moisture barrier and insulation breakage that lead to severe ice dam accumulation. Your goal is to deal with the dams once they form, and even better – find out why the form and prevent this process from happening. A lot of homeowners confess that finding the cause of ice dams may be a tough call. They advise contacting roof cleaners who will identify the issue, clean the roof, and help you prevent such roof damage in the future. Frequently this means that you will need to replace the existing insulation.
3. Roof structure and roof damage
Many old homes (those built before 1950s) suffer from roof trusses or rafters of inadequate size. According to professional roof cleaners, exactly ineffective roofing structural members become the most common reason of any possible roof damage. Unfortunately, you might not be able to spot this problem on your own. Don’t hesitate calling a local roof service to get your roof inspected and learn about its possible issues.
In case you know about this problem and your roof has leaked before, then you are likely to have damaged rafters. In this case it is of utmost importance to inspect roof for damage and ensure that in its current condition the construction will withstand the snow load.
4. Damaged shingles
Roof shingles suffer from snow in general, and severe snowstorms in particular. Should your area be prone to wind storms in winter, make sure that you check your roofing coverage for any missing, cracked, or deformed shingles. Any of these broken shingles may cause not only severe roof damage but general home casualties as well.
So in order to be confident about your roof safety, you need to monitor the condition of the roof shingles and replace any damaged pieces as soon as possible. Keep also in mind that shingles cover roof wood which is also prone to harmful winter influence. One of the worst scenarios that you may have is if damaged shingles cause the moisture getting to the wood sheathing underneath. This may lead to roof rafters rotting because of the melting snow.
5. Icicle haven
Very often old roofs were also designed in the way that they collect icicle havens. This happens because of the inadequate insulation in the attic or an improperly ventilated soffit.
Should you spot such an issue, don’t rush into doing everything with your own hands. Call professional roof damage contractors so that they at least evaluate the total scope of the problem and give some useful suggestions. After detailed consultation deal with the issue immediately because icicle havens may cause ice dams and deeper roof damage problems in perspective.
If you want to prevent your home from roof damage this winter, ensure that you inspect it every couple of weeks at least visually. Should any roof damage or general problems get spotted in the process, don’t postpone calling a roofing contractor to eliminate the cause.
