Your Roof’s Winter Rant List

Winter always seems to have a love/hate relationship with people in the Kentuckiana area. The excitement of the first snow and the beauty of fresh fallen snow in general, seems to get over powered a few days later with complaining about how dirty and ugly snow looks after it has stuck around for a few days. Then you get to February where spring seems to be right around the corner, but of course when your in Kentuckiana it could feel like spring one day, and the next a snow storm hits the area! Your roof, on the other hand, does not have a love/hate relationship with winter at all. In fact it down right hates the winter because of the terrible things that could happen to it. Here are a few things on your roof’s rant list about winter, and how you can make a long winter a bit better for your roof.

Water Leaks from Ice and Snow

Water leaks from ice and snow can be caused by the heating system that is within your house. Water from melted ice gets trapped on the roof and creates a ice dam on the roof, gutters, and down spouts. When this happens water takes the easiest path under the roof system and through flashings. These types of materials are not designed to hold that much water resulting in possible damage. Although, in the Kentuckiana area we don’t have to deal with heavy snow as other regions in the country. This is still something that you need to keep in the back of your mind, especially if you have an older roof. If your house has an older roof it is smart to make sure that the shingles on your roof are firmly fastened. An older home is more likely to be at risk of water getting under the shingles, and causing damage.

Ice in The Gutters

Ice in your gutters and downspout is a ticking time bomb for a repair, so it is very important that you keep these parts of your roofing system clear. The best advice we have is to make sure that your gutters are completely cleaned out from the fall season. After this is done check your gutters every so often to make sure your gutters are clean; ensuring that leaves, ice, and snow do not clog up your gutter and cause damage.

Common Sense is the Best Practice

We are not advising that you look after your roof like an overbearing parent. What we are saying is that it is a good idea to use common sense. After a big storm, make sure that you take a quick look to see if something suspicious like heavy snow or ice build took place. This quick check will prevent further damage later on. If you think that something could potentially cause an issue to your home, removing the problem could save you a lot of headache later on down the road. There are plenty of other tips to help get your roof through the winter, but we thought these were the best ones for our customers. Please considering taking this advice so that you don’t have another reason to dread the winter season. We promise your roof will thank you by having a longer life!