A poignant question for homeowners at this time of
year is “how to prepare your roof for winter?” With the kids soon back to
school and days getting cooler again, the change of seasons means planning for
the months ahead. This includes preventative roof maintenance to get your roof
ready for fall rain and then the first freeze of winter.
How to prepare your roof for winter – 4 things for your to-do list
- Cleaning the gutters
- Checking for roof damage and deterioration
- Trimming back overhanging vegetation
- Checking the attic for air flow
1. Cleaning the gutters
You should make gutter cleaning a priority in your roof maintenance routine. Helping to channel water off your roof and draining it away from your foundation, gutter systems are exposed to the elements. Given how many leaves fall at this time of year, your home’s gutters collect debris like this with each passing month. If left uninspected, you could experience the horror of clogged or blocked gutters. In all likelihood, a blocked gutter means increased water accumulation on your roof.
When water can no longer be effectively drained away
from your roof, the only place for it to go is down into your home below.
Seeping beneath your roof’s shingles, roof water accumulation only increases
the risk of attic leaks, ceiling damage, and associated mold and mildew growth.
Worse still, if you don’t tackle clogged gutters in fall, the threat gets even
bigger in winter. Why? Because any standing water on your roof will freeze,
forming ice dams that trap snow and ice. This adds an unnecessary amount of
weight to your home’s gutters, sometimes causing them to buckle and break.
Believe it or not, the best way to clean gutters is
to clean from the ground. Using a traditional stepladder is dangerous,
especially during bouts of wind and rain this fall. Nowadays, a simple “gutter
cleaning tools” Google search will present you with many purpose-built modern contraptions
to get the job done safely and efficiently. If DIY isn’t your forte, contact a
local contractor instead.
2. Checking for roof damage and deterioration
Now it’s fall, your home’s roof has just completed
its own seasonal sunbathing routine. You should know that most home roof damage
occurs in summer when increased ultraviolet light beams from the sun. The most
common roofing material, asphalt shingles, are prone to cracking under intense
UV rays that alter their chemical makeup and often create gaps in the
foundation. Albeit a slow process, early inspection can reduce costly repair
bills and prevent many dangers to the safety and comfort of your family. You
should be aware that roof hole formation can lead to:
- Indoor temperature fluctuations
- Pest infestations
- Leaks or water damage
When you or an inspector performs a visual
examination of your roof, common roof warning signs include:
- Water
stains on interior walls or ceilings
- Water
flow between guttering and the roof edge
- Cracked
or chipped bricks and mortar
- Loose,
cracked, or chipped shingles
- Moist
or wet attic insulation
Even if roof damage or deterioration appears small, it’s
always worth hiring a professional inspector like AmeriSpec, and then a skilled
contractor to remedy any issues before they get worse.
3. Trimming back overhanging vegetation
If you live in a wooded area or have trees on your
property, don’t forget about branches. The risk to your roof all depends on
proximity, but if there is any overhanging vegetation, this demands your
immediate attention right now. Tree branches are huge culprits for roof and
home damage since they’re constantly growing and have sharp, twisting limbs. In
high winds and storms this fall and winter, an overgrown tree’s branches can
quickly damage your roof, siding, and windows. If vegetation is large enough,
it may affect your neighbour’s property also.
The answer to “how to trim tree branches?” is hiring
a professional to complete the job. You should always seek out a highly skilled
technician for cutting tree branches. Performing the job yourself carries
several personal injury risks. Not only that but family members, neighbours and
your home might be caught in the crossfire of fallen branches resulting from
unskilled labour. Lastly, don’t forget that the bigger the tree, the more
chance there is for winter snow to reside on the branches, adding unnecessary
weight and potentially causing branches to buckle and break.
4. Checking the attic for air flow
Remember, a roof is only as healthy as the attic
beneath it. There should always be sufficient air circulation in your attic to guard
against roof leakage. Without proper ventilation in your attic, moisture will
accumulate and produce unwanted mold. If your attic is poorly ventilated with
no vents located at the soffits and ridges, higher temperatures will reduce
your roof’s lifespan. Left uninspected, the harsh reality is higher utility
bills. When you or an inspector performs a visual examination of your attic,
common warning signs include:
- Moisture build-up
- Mold build-up
- Deteriorated insulation
Remember, roofing is covered within a professional AmeriSpec home inspection
If preventative roof maintenance isn’t performed
this fall, frost and snow will batter your roofing when temperatures dip below
freezing. Freeze-thaw cycles are the day counts of temperature fluctuating
between freezing and non-freezing. Its threats to your home include thermal
shock, moisture penetration, ice dams, and cracking or slackening of mortar and
caulking. Heavy rain or snowfall increases the process of repeated expansion
and contraction of roofing that destabilizes the strength and structural integrity
of its materials.
Now it’s back to school season, homeowners are
busier and can tend to forget about preventative roof maintenance. AmeriSpec
can help make sure this isn’t you. Our
professional inspectors take 2-3 hours to examine about 1,000 checkpoints in
approximately 400 items around the home including its roofing. We’ll produce a
tailored AmeriSpec Report with recommended actions.
Don’t leave a damaged roof uninspected.
Find your local home inspector here.