Roof Maintenance Tips to Help Homeowners Prep for Winter | The Family Handyman
When it comes to winterizing your habitation, forgetting to prepare your roof for cold wintertime weather can exist a costly oversight.
One of the about important steps when winterizing a home is making sure the roof is ready for harsh wintertime weather. Performing routine roof maintenance tasks before winter sets in can help your home stay warm and comfortable likewise every bit preclude expensive repairs caused past water ice dams and leaking. Read on for 9 key maintenance tasks to ready your roof for winter.
Repair Damaged Shingles
Amanda Wynn, a roofer for Rampart Roofing, warns that missing, damaged and loose shingles can expose a home to roof leaks and h2o harm if non stock-still before winter. If shingles are broken, water will seep underneath and eventually make its way into your domicile. If any shingles are loose, stiff wintertime winds can accident them away.
If you only take a few damaged shingles and they're piece of cake to achieve, you can probably replace them yourself. If there are multiple areas of your roof that are damaged and you lot're uneasy most working on the roof, it's best to hire a professional roofer to do the work.
Repair Damaged Flashing
Roof flashing is sometimes overlooked, but it'due south a vitally important component of a well-maintained roof. "Roof flashing protects your habitation from water harm by diverting water from certain areas of the roof," Wynn says.
Pay special attention effectually the chimney and to roof valleys and overhangs, says Joe Palumbo, president of Ice Dam Guys. "Make sure [they are] in skillful condition and won't permit leaks," he says. "Roof valleys and overhangs are two of the about common places for ice dams to class."
If you are comfy working on your roof and you accept safe precautions, you can repair or replace flashing yourself. Otherwise, hire a roofing pro.
Supplant Old Caulking
Richard D'Angelo, operations manager at JWE Remodeling & Roofing, recommends checking the caulk/sealant effectually vent pipes, chimneys and counter-flashing, which is sheet metallic that is installed at the joint where walls meet roofing. Its function is to prevent h2o from entering that joint by channeling water away from information technology.
"In the winter when things go cold they will shrink, and caulking tin become separated or cracked if it's onetime and dry out," says D'Angelo. "New caulking will exist able to expand and contract with the cold and warm weather, keeping critical junctures in your roof watertight and dry."
New caulk is supple and retains its seal better once fully cured. But exist sure to remove old caulking beforehand. Scrape information technology with a screwdriver while being careful not to puncture or otherwise penetrate the flashing or roofing membrane below it. Re-caulking is an piece of cake DIY project as long equally yous're willing to get on the roof for it.
Go Your Roof Rake Ready
A roof rake is a helpful snow removal tool to forbid snow from piling up on your roof. Joe Palumbo suggests raking your roof later on every half-dozen inches of snow. "If you lot forbid snow from piling up on the cold overhangs, you lot create a path for runoff (snow melted by the warm roof) to flow off of the roof harmlessly, rather than freeze and crusade water ice dams and leaking," he says.
If yous don't already own i, Palumbo suggests buying a plastic roof rake or ane with rollers so that you don't rub the granules off the shingles. If your current roof rake doesn't take rollers, or they just aren't working like they use to, then consider replacing it.
Anyone can easily apply a roof rake. Just picket out for icicles and inspect the roof for whatever loose shingles or flashing then you lot don't accidentally hook onto them.
Trim the Copse
Trimming the trees around your roof is a must-do chore that can help avert roof damage when the winter snowfall, ice and winds arrive.
"While you lot may love those trees, you need to trim off the overhanging branches as they pose a threat to your roof," says Constantine Anest, Possessor of Ethos Roofing. "A unmarried bad snowstorm could pause off the branch over your home, which then may inflict serious damage to your roof."
It'due south probably best to hire someone who'south trained to practice this task. And while y'all might be able to reach some branches, the ones near your roof are probably too high for the average DIYer.
Add together a Rut Cable
This is especially helpful for areas where ice dams accept been a trouble in the past, such equally gutters, downspouts or even directly on the roof, Miller says.
Adding oestrus cables in the gutter and downspouts is simple and tin exist easily washed by most DIYers. Adding a heat cablevision on the roof can be a DIY project, but only if your dwelling is one story.
Better Attic Ventilation
The roof sits on top of the attic, and proper cranium ventilation is essential to prevent ice dams on the roof. Todd Miller, president of Isaiah Industries, an international manufacturer of specialty residential metal roofing, has a uncomplicated mode to check.
"Close up all ingress openings in the cranium and hold a slice of calorie-free tissue paper upward toward the exhaust vents," he says. "If you do not see air movement, then you either have inadequate ventilation or your intake vents are blocked past insulation or perhaps take even been painted shut over the years."
To amend cranium ventilation, you lot tin can add more roof vents and remove insulation that might be blocking the vents. This is a DIY-able project that can be done by anyone with basic tools, plus a jigsaw and caulk gun.
Add or Upgrade Insulation
While you're in the cranium checking on ventilation, also look for missing or damaged insulation, which tin cause problems leading to water ice dams.
"Hot air from inside of the dwelling travels to your attic space because there is not enough insulation to cease the oestrus transfer," explains Daniel Immature, founder of Kingdom Roofing Systems. "Once the hot air meets the bottom of the roof deck, the snow melts, then the temperature drops at night and the melted snowfall freezes and turns to ice."
Adding/replacing insulation takes a higher skill level than almost other DIY projects, but it's definitely doable if you're motivated.
Clean Gutters and Downspouts
While they're not technically part of the roof, cleaning your gutters and downspouts is one of the virtually of import maintenance tasks you lot demand to do before winter arrives. Clear them prevents clogs which generally atomic number 82 to destructive ice dams on your roof during the wintertime.
"If water ice accumulates around gutters and eaves, it can form an ice dam that blocks roof drainage and leads to a freeze-thaw bike that separates shingles from the roof deck and creates an entry point for wet," says Alex Pecora, director of covering product management for CertainTeed.
Cleaning your gutters and downspouts is DIY-able as long equally you take safe precautions and have a ane-story house. For ii-story or taller houses, it's all-time to call a pro.
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