As winter comes nearer, it is time to get your home ready for those cold winter months. While you may be busy making sure your heating system is good to go and that you’ve got plenty of hot chocolate to get you through the bitter evenings, you might not have thought of some of the other types of maintenance you might need to complete in preparation.
Roof maintenance, for instance, is one part of getting your house ready in the fall to be able to withstand the freezing temperatures and harsh precipitation that is coming up. Here are three major roof projects that you can take on in the fall to prepare for winter.
1. Trim Trees
This isn’t strictly a roof maintenance project but trimming the trees around your home will do wonders to make sure your roof is sturdy in the winter. If you live in a place that gets freezing temperatures, you’ll want to make sure that you get rid of any dead or weak tree limbs that may hang over your roof. These particular limbs are susceptible to breakage once the temperatures drop. A heavy snowfall can add a surprising amount of weight to the branches and cause them to drop. Likewise, rain that then freezes overnight can also add too much weight that might cause them to fall on and damage your roof. By trimming, you’ll also be limiting how much of the remaining leaves fall on your roof, which could add weight and clog gutters.
2. Clean out Gutters
Speaking of gutters, you will want to clean them out regularly throughout the fall season. If you can’t clean very regularly, make sure you at least give it one last good cleanout right before the temperatures drop to freezing. Leaving leaves, sticks, and other organic debris inside your gutters can put too much stress on your roof. This happens because as the snow melts throughout the day it will flow into the gutters. If the gutters are already filled with leaves, the water has nowhere to go and will remain inside. Once the night hits, the water will likely refreeze, causing a dam. This ice is much slower than snow to melt, so once the snow melts again the next day, it can flow into the already full gutters, causing a tremendous amount of pressure and weight that can possibly pull your whole gutters down. Needless to say, this will definitely damage the roof to which it is connected.
3. Inspection by US Roofing
Before winter gets here, it’s a good idea to get on the roof itself and have a look around for any potential damage. Look for loose shingles, damaged gutters, and anything that looks like it could lead to a leak. Remember, a quick inspection now, whether by you or a US Roofing professional, will prevent a lot of damage during the winter, when you don’t want the cold air and snow getting into your house.
As a homeowner, it is vital to maintain your house if you want to enjoy living there for years to come. Maintaining the roof properly is just one part of that, and there’s no better time than the fall to make sure it is ready to withstand the cold temperature and inclement weather that winter often brings.
