WORRIED YOUR ROOF GETS THE BEST OF WINTER?

Here Are 8 Tips To Protect It!

Winter is coming. Literally. This isn’t just a famous tagline from a great TV series, but a fact as well. You can already feel it in the wind, right? While winter is a great time for everyone, it’s especially hard on your roof.

It’ll be working extra hard to keep you warm and cozy. So, how can you make your roof winter-proof? Follow these eight great tricks on making your roof ready to face the cold wet months.

#1 CLEAN YOUR GUTTERS AND DOWNSPOUTS.

Now is probably the best time to clean your gutters. During winter, you’ll need to keep water freely flowing from your roof and away from your house, and clogged up gutters won’t do this for you. Clean them up properly with the right materials. Exercise care in cleaning them as well, not only for your gutter, but also for yourself. You don’t want to fall off the roof, do you?

Clogged gutters can also lead to ice dams during winter, and these dams could cause serious problems on your roof drainage and on your roof itself. So before the cold months arrive, make sure your gutters are clog-free and smoothly cleaned.

#2 CHECK YOUR ROOF FOR LEAKS AND CRACKS.

This is also the best time to have your roof checked for any small holes that water could get in to. As you should know, when water enters through these holes and expand because of the bitter cold, these holes and cracks will get bigger. Only when you do your roof snow removal will you be able to see the damage done by these little holes.

Contact a roofing expert and have your roof checked inside and out. Once you have them checked, you can have them do the repairs, or you could do it on your own. If the latter is the case, make sure you exercise a great deal of caution.

#3 FIX AND REPLACE ROTTING AREAS.

While you’re checking for cracks and leaks, why not check your roof for rotting as well? Snow accumulation on your roof can be quite the weight, and if your roof has rotting areas, it might give out and cause serious damage. You could also cause more damage when you do a DIY snow removal without knowing that you have weak points on your roof.

When you see a rotting part, immediately take action and fix that area. You can do small fixes on your own, but a huge rotting area might require a professional. Also, rotting roofs don’t always show on the outside, so it’s best to consult a professional on this.

#4 LOOK FOR SAGGING ROOF AREAS OUTSIDE AND INSIDE.

Just as a rotting roof is a major problem in winter, sagging roofs can also cause serious damage on your roof during winter. If your roof is sagging, contact a roofing contractor immediately.

Or have an architect or carpenter look at it and tell you how to fix it. You need to fix this before winter comes because when you get a snow removal contractor to work on your roof, they might be in danger.

#5 CHECK YOUR FLASHING AND SHINGLES.

The flashing connects your roof to its other components like vents, chimneys and skylights. Damaged shingles and roof flashing are just a couple of the major causes of leaks.

You seriously don’t want leaks on your roof during winter. Take a close look at your shingles and figure out if they need replacing. Inspect your flashing and make sure everything is in good condition.

#6 HAVE PROPER INSULATION.

If you have an attic, make sure you invest on attic venting and insulation. This also makes roof snow removal easier for you. Warm air coming through your ceiling causes the snow to melt during winter.

This water runs down your roof and freezes. This accumulation is what people refer to as ice dams. To prevent this, make sure your attic vents and insulation system is working properly.

#7 TRIM YOUR TREES.

This may seem a bit odd, but this trick actually helps you a lot. Whether you’re going to get a snow removal contractor, or you’re considering DIY snow removal, trimming the trees around your house makes roof maintenance a bit lighter during the colder months.

This also helps in reducing the amount of gutter clutter for your roof (namely, fallen leaves).

#8 GET EVERYTHING DONE AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE.

Don’t wait until winter is only a month away! Have your roof checked and inspected as early as possible. You wouldn’t know the extent of the damage or repairs that you have to do, so better do it earlier than have a lot of regrets later.

After all, the early bird catches the worm, and the early-checked roof ensures a safe and happy winter for you and your family.

#8 GET EVERYTHING DONE AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE.

Alex is an expert home maintenance

contractor in Springfield, MA and runs a snow

removal service for home and business

establishment. Visit GetSnowRemove.com to

get a quick quote today!