Winter is the hardest season of all. It affects your roofs in all possible ways. No matter how beautiful fierce winds, low temps, and heavy snow look, they are all hidden enemies for your roof. The worst part? A damaged roof makes it even harder to survive and sell your home.
However, a well-maintained roof having strong and high-quality material is a more reliable way of ensuring long-lasting roof years. Regular roof repair or roof inspection with the best roofing contractor in your area further makes sure that your roof is capable of facing difficult situations during winters.
You may want to wait till spring for a roof inspection and roof repair but let us tell you that it’s the most expensive mistake you can make.
Different roofing materials have different capacities to face extreme weather conditions at different points in the year, considering various humidities in summer and winter. And if you are living where cold hits the hardest, then even the strongest roof can get damaged.
Knowing what difficulties your roof may face and how you can prevent them is the best way to get through tough and freezing winters.
So, let’s quickly have a look at the winter damage your roof can have and what can you do to minimise or prevent them:
1. Wind Damage:
People think that only hurricane season can damage roofs, but that’s not always the case. If you have a house in an area where winds are quite heavier, you need to know that there will be high chances of the roof getting loose, breaking, or tearing up.
Did you know that Annapolis, MD, has the windiest month in March when winds are commonly around 8 mph? In such scenarios, it’s very common to have roof damage. The hard winter can also loosen flashing, ridges, and rakes and can also take a bit because they are the most exposed to the wind stream.
So how do you prevent your roof from wind damage?
The best way is to invest in quality shingles that have a warranty on wind damage up to 110 mph.
Also, check if there are any overhanging trees or dead branches surrounding your house that may damage your roof.
The second best thing that you can do? Before the winter arrives, contact a roofing contractor for a roof inspection and see if there is a need for roof repair services.
2. Snow Damage:
There are different designs for every roof type, and depending on that, they will have different weight load capacities.
If there is a lot of ice and snow accumulated on your roof, there are higher chances of the roof collapsing, especially if the snow is wet and heavier.
However, depending on the design and capacity of your roof, even light snow can create pressure on the roof and cause damage. Moreover, if you have a poorly constructed roof or roof drainage, it can make the situation even worse.
If you see leaks, creaks, or a sagging ceiling, it’s a big and ticking alarm of dangerous roof damage.
So how do you prevent your roof from snow damage?
One of the best ways to safeguard your roof from snow damage is to keep a close eye on accumulated snow on your roof. You can use a long-handled roof rake to remove the snow. Contact a roofing contractor for roof repair services to help you with snow damage repair.
3. Attic Condensation:
There are many reasons that cause a build-up on your roof, including weather conditions, especially ice dams. It can cause excessive condensation on your attic ceiling. Nonetheless, even a small amount of moisture build-up can result in both wood rot and mold, further leading to health problems.
Generally, moisture is built up on the attic floor from where air enters, but sometimes it can also be devices in your home if they are malfunctioning, such as your plumbing, appliances, and dehumidifiers.
So how do you prevent your roof from Attic Condensation in Winter?
The best thing that you can do to prevent moisture build-up is to maintain all your home devices regularly. If you ever come across any spots or suspect condensation in your attic, address them with proper ventilation. Make sure all leaks are plugged into the insulation on the attic floor. Contact a roofing contractor for roof repair services to help you with attic condensation, if needed.
4. Icicles, Gutters, & Flat Roofs
When it comes to aesthetics, Icicles really win the game, but they can be evil for your shingles and gutters, especially when they break and fall.
Moreover, ice can also build up in your downspouts and gutters, and it can be extremely tough to remove ice in your downspouts and gutters without any damage.
Additionally, if you have a flat roof, you will also have to pay attention to the drains because if they freeze, it will result in trapped water on top of your roof, further resulting in water leaks.
So how do you prevent your roof from Icicles, Gutters, & Flat Roof Damages?
To prevent roof damage, keep your gutter as clean as possible to reduce logs and remove the gutter system to prevent ice damage if required.
In case you have a flat roof with accumulated trapped water, it’s the best option to remove the downspout and open up the drain to create discharge.
Moreover, invest in quality insulation and eliminate/repair any roof-top leaks to reduce icicles on your roof and ice dams. Plus, use a long-handled roof rake to dislodge them.
5. Ice Buildup on Roofs:
When you heat your living space in the winter, the warm air rise will heat up your shingles and roof snow. And then it will melt and drip into the roof’s colder edges and refreeze as ice again.
As the ice layer becomes thicker and thicker, it will soon result in a force that backup other snowmelt behind it. This process, if you have leakage points in your home, causes the water to seep under the shingles and into your home.
The more water freezes and thaws, the higher chances of a leak as water will make its way into nooks and crannies and expand them with their freezing and thawing nature.
So how do you prevent your roof from Ice Buildup Damage?
One of the common and simplest ways to prevent an ice dam is by insulating and ventilating your attic. Another way is to keep debris and leaves out of your gutters and downspouts in the late fall. Remove snow from the roof’s edge by using a roof rake and installing heat trace cables in your gutters. Contact a roofing contractor for roof repair services to help you with ice buildup damage repair, if required.
We Are All Here for You:
Whilst there are many ways you can prevent and repair some of the roof damages, it’s best to hire a professional roof contractor when needed. You can always do it by yourself, but it will be more dangerous and expensive in the long run.
Hire a roofing contractor today to get expert service with professional knowledge of the field. You can visit our site Farha Roofing for more information about the services and locations we serve.
