With the changing leaves and harsh winters in North Idaho on the horizon, it’s essential to prepare your roof for the season ahead. Prevention is much easier than fixing problems after they occur, so take the time to get your roof ready for winter.
Don’t hesitate to look for roof repair near me if you suspect snow compromised the integrity of your roof.
Listed Below Are 4 Ways Snow Can Damage A Roof:
1. By Creating Ice Dams
When there’s just light snow, the heat escaping from the top of your home, combined with sunshine, often melts it easily, and the water simply trickles off into the gutters. But when the snow is too thick, the top layer remains thick and frozen while the layer closest to the roof melts.
The problem is that, in heavy snow, the gutters and edge of the roof are going to be clogged, meaning all that melting snow has nowhere to go. It will back up, refreeze, and then you have an ice dam. Heavy ice dams can tear off gutters and shingles and even cause backed-up water to enter the house. Make sure to check your gutters and shingles to assess for any damage that might have occurred last winter and to prevent damage this coming winter.
2. By Collapsing the Roof
This is, of course, the worst possible situation, but even when a home is built entirely to code, snow that’s heavy enough can overburden the structure. If you’ve got a slow-moving storm that’s bringing a lot of wet, heavy snow, prepare to get out there with a telescoping roof rake and keep it clear throughout the storm.
3. By Breaking Open Cracks
Say you have a very tiny crack in your roof. A little water gets in the crack during a warmer part of the day and then freezes once the sun goes down, expanding as it does so. This can break open cracks, which then become holes. Regular roof inspections can catch these before they cause irreparable damage to your home. Have your roof inspected before winter to find any potential cracks.
4. By Bringing Down Trees
Heavy snow can pull the limbs of trees right off. Even if the limb isn’t heavy enough to actually damage the structure, just a glancing blow with the right kind of scraping can tear off shingles. If you have trees close enough to your home to do this, always get those trees looked at by a professional arborist every year.
Avoid That Emergency Roof Repair Near Me Search
The best way to avoid getting emergency roof repair is to be proactive. We’ve already mentioned getting trees inspected and trimmed and using your roof rake, and you should be getting your roof inspected every year to ensure there aren’t any holes.
Keeping up on maintenance, though, is also key. If you notice missing or damaged shingles, don’t put off getting them repaired. Keep your gutters in good shape and regularly check the downspouts to be sure they’re not blocked with ice. Gutters also need to be cleaned regularly for optimal function, particularly after the autumn leaves are off the trees.
Keep your roof in good condition with regular maintenance and inspections, and if a heavy storm does do some damage, don’t delay in getting it fixed. Reach out to us at Precision Gutters & Roofing today for help.