Winter Roofing Preparation Tips

There are things during the winter that need to be addressed if you want to keep the water out of your home.  This is especially true during the winter. Because of this, winter roofing preparation is incredibly important. If you have any issues during that season you will have a lot more difficulties dealing with them during the winter. Regardless of how hard a winter may be, you will need to deal with a few winter preparations ahead of time. It’s especially important to focus on winter roofing preparation. Keep in mind that there is much work that needs to be done and it will not be available for you unless you have no snow on your home, allowing you clear access to its roof.

Roofing Preparation Tips:

The following tips will cover what you need to do for winter roofing preparation:

Roof Cleaning

• Make sure you keep your roof as clean as possible before winter rolls around or when you have a break in the snow. One of the main reasons for leaks and damage to a roof are the debris scattered on it. Get rid of any dead leaves, garbage and branches that may be out there.

• Speaking of branches you should make sure you trim the overhanging ones that loom over your roof. If you have those you must absolutely make sure you take care of them as soon as possible. This will cut down on the debris on your roof, lowering the costs for maintenance and also making sure there will be no piles of snow threatening your roof.

• Clean the gutters as soon as you can, as clogged gutters can be a great danger to your roof. Ice dams can form as well as other issues, so make sure you clear the gutters from leaves and debris before snow sets in or during one of the breaks when it doesn’t snow. If there are too much debris inside the gutters, make sure you spray them carefully with water to clear them.

Ensure Proper Insulation

• Upgrade the insulation of your attic with a better one to prevent roof leaks and to increase the heat efficiency of your home. One of the easiest ways leaks happen is because the heat of your home escapes through the roof and it melts the snow around it. Good insulation will minimize the transfer of heat, thus allowing you to keep things safe and warm.

• Clean the roof with a roof rake, as this is an excellent tool for removing snow from it safely. This will also help prevent the previously mentioned ice dams and leaks. Make sure you do that carefully as to not damage the gutters as you pull the snow down.

Inspect Roofing Material

• Find and fix any loose shingles and reapply roofing cement to hold them back in place. Make sure you replace any missing ones as soon as possible as the roof has constant exposure to water and this may easily lead to rotting and leaks down the line.

• Check out the metal parts of your roof for corrosion, holes and warping and make sure you fix whatever you can to keep things safe and intact. Apply roofing cement if you have to and work out all the issues.

For more tips, visit: http://www.moving-van.org.uk/W4-man-and-van/chiswick-man-in-a-van-W4.html