Nature, with her cruel sense of humor, drops layers of leaves on our roofs and gutters right up until the bitter cold sets in. If you aren’t diligent about cleaning out your gutters, they will be obstructed at the worst time: when an early snowfall begins to melt quickly and can’t drain properly. As winter approaches and leafs begin to fall, here's a short list of something to help make sure your home is ready for the winter :
1.- Make sure the leafs, branches,debris, ect. in your gutters are cleaned out and ready for winters snow. An excess build up of leafs in your gutters can lead to ice build up and potential damage to your gutters and even your fascia ( fascia boards are behind your gutters ) leaving your home exposed to the elements.
2. - It’s not only important to examine your roof and facility, but you also need to look at the surrounding areas adjacent to your facility. You want to look for trees and buildings that can affect your roof during the winter season.
Trees
Snow adds weight. Surrounding trees and branches hanging over and around your facility are a potential hazard. These branches can dump a significant amount of weight, or the entire branch can break and land on your roof.
Surrounding Buildings
If you have other buildings surrounding your facility, you have the potential of snow to drift from their roof to your roof. It’s important to know these potential hazards as you enter the winter season so that you and your contractor are prepared.
3. - Be sure to check the flashing around and flanges or chimneys. take a closer look at the areas where shingles meet flashing, bricks, plumbing stacks, antenna mounts, etc. These areas often have a bead of sealant as an additional water shedding aid, and over years this sealant can weather and crack, so you should repair/re-seal any such weathered spots with a suitable roofing sealant.
4. - Many homeowners fail to check their attic when performing a roof examination. You’ll want to ensure that your attic has plenty of evenly distributed insulation to keep the heat in your home. Not only do you not want heat seeping out of your home and causing your energy bills to skyrocket, but this exiting heat can also become trapped under your shingles. This may lead to the development of ice dams, which can spell trouble for your roof. Ice dams are characterized by a sequence of melting and freezing snow that can easily damage areas of your roof where they occur.
If you do find yourself in the middle of a roofing emergency this winter, prepare ahead of time by creating or reviewing your action plan now. Make sure that your family knows who to call and what to do in the event of a roof leak or worse. Gather your contractor’s information, insurance paperwork and a copy of your warranty somewhere that is easy to access.