3 Tips To Help Protect Your Roofing Through The Winter

The roof of your home goes through a lot throughout the year, but the abuse that it sustains during the winter is far greater than any average summer thunderstorm. Sure, those summer storms come with heavy downpours and strong winds, but the freeze-thaw cycle, ice, heavy snow, and strong winds that come with winter storms, well, that can all be devastating to a roof. Here, you'll find a few tips to help ensure that your roofing is ready for what winter is about to throw at it.

Have an Inspection

How long has it been since a professional roofer has been on your roof? If it's been more than a year since the roofing has been inspected, it's time to get someone out to check things out. Roofing damage is much easier to fix and less expensive if you catch it early. The longer you allow leaks to continue, the further the damage could extend — it won't just be replacing a few shingles that you'll foot the bill for — you'll be replacing water-damaged materials in the roofing, attic, and sometimes, even the walls from the roof to the foundation.

Clear the Valleys

The valleys in your roofing are another area prone to premature damage. This is because it will get less sun exposure and leaves and debris tend to pile up. Get a broom and sweep it off of the roof. Just be careful that you don't damage the gutters in the process.

Clean the Gutters

Your gutters need to be cleaned out just before winter hits. This is because fall causes them to fill with leaves and other debris. That debris weighs enough to potentially rip the gutters off of the house, but when you add inches of snow and ice to it, the gutter system will surely become damaged.

If the gutters are damaged or become overfilled with snow and ice, the roofing at the edges of the roof is put at risk. The ice and snow push back under the shingles and causes the sub roofing material to become wet and begin to rot.

Tip: If you have a lot of trees overhanging the house, it's time to look into the leaf shields for the gutters. This will prevent the need to do the cleaning quite as often while protecting the gutters from becoming damaged.

Talk with your local roofing service to discuss having an inspection performed and plan for any repairs that need to be made before the first strong winter storm of the season.