4 Ways To Ensure Your Home's Roof Is Ready For Winter

Winter is one of the most challenging times of year on your roof with constant wind, rain, snow, and ice impacting your roof. It is also one of the most challenging times of year to fix your roof should something go wrong. That is why you are going to want to ensure your roof is ready for winter weather before it arrives.

1. Clean Your Gutters to Prevent Ice Dams

First, you are going to want to clean your gutters. You are going to want to remove all built-up debris from them. You will want to check to ensure that they are clipped in place properly and that there are no cracks in the seams.

If any of your gutters are hanging off where they shouldn't be, or you have cracks in the seams, you are going to want to get a roofing professional to fix that issue for you. Clogged gutters will retain moisture, and that moisture will freeze. This can contribute to the presence of ice dams on your roof, which can be really damaging to your roof and the side of your home. Cleaning out the gutters is one of your first lines of defense against ice dams.

2. Check Your Attic

Next, you need to ensure that your attic has the right level of ventilation and insulation. Both the ventilation and insulation have to work together to ensure that warm air doesn't come up through your ceiling, melting snow and creating ice dams. You want that warm air to stay in your home.

This can be a difficult thing to check on your own. You can have a professional roofer check and ensure that your attic is properly ventilated and insulated so that you don't have to deal with damage caused by ice dams this winter.

3. Inspect Your Flashing

The flashing on your roof is responsible for protecting and connecting roofing components and ensuring that water flows where it should. This is one of the more vulnerable parts of your roof, as the material tends to wear down faster than the primary material on your roof. You will want to check and ensure that your flashing is properly installed and isn't loose at all or breaking down. If it is, you will want to contact a roofing contractor to replace your flashing before winter hits to protect it from water damage.  

4. Check the Roof Line

Finally, you are going to want to check your roofline. If you notice any areas on the line where there appears to be sagging, you will want to address that before winter arrives. Sagging often means that there is an issue with your roof deck, which supports the overall structure. You don't want the roof to collapse inward, so be sure to get that checked out.

Visually check your attic insulation, flashing, roofline, and gutters. If you suspect or see any damage or anything that is off, get a residential roofing contractor out for an inspection, and take care of the repairs before winter arrives so you don't have to deal with water damage and repairs this winter.