Your roof protects your home from the harsh winter ahead — but only if it’s in good shape. Learning how to prepare your roof for winter helps you prevent costly damages, improve energy efficiency, and extend the lifespan of your roofing system.
At Gotcha Covered Contracting, we offer professional roofing, siding, and gutter installations, repairs, and replacements. Our licensed and insured general contractors serve Pittsburgh, PA, and all surrounding areas, including Cranberry Township, Wexford, and Allison Park.
Below, our team discusses how you can prepare your roof for winter. If you’d like to leave the work to a professional roofer or schedule a free roof inspection, call our team at 724-581-8147.
Why You Need To Prepare Your Roof for Winter
From leaks and water damage to ice dams and blistering shingles, your roof can suffer all sorts of damage during the winter. The heavy rain, added weight from snow, and extreme winds can cause different parts to fail or clog, leading to leaks. With freezing temperatures, any bit of moisture will quickly expand into ice dams that only cause more damage.
What starts as a minor problem in the fall can quickly develop into a major, expensive repair as the harsh winter season rolls in. To avoid excess costs and complications, you need to prepare your roof for winter.
Tips on Preparing Your Roof for Winter
As the leaves start changing colors, it’s time to begin preparing your roof for the first snowfall. Our experienced roofers recommend the following tips to get your home ready for the winter season.
Clear Any Visible Debris
To start, walk around the perimeter of your house to see if you notice any visible debris on your roof, including leaves, branches, mold, twigs, or anything else. If you do, carefully climb on a ladder and remove the debris. If you cannot reach the debris safely, you should hire a professional.
Clean Your Gutters
Your gutters can easily become clogged during the fall season with so many leaves dropping from trees. Clogged gutters can damage the roofing system by backlogging water, causing leaks and other issues.
When you clean your gutters, be sure to check the down spouts as well. If the down spout are backed up, you will need to call a professional roofer to clear the issue.
Remove Yard Hazards
Low-hanging branches are a major threat to your roof during the winter. With heavy snowfall or strong winds, nearby branches may fall and hit your roof, damaging the shingles and causing leaks. You can prevent these issues by trimming low-hanging tree limbs before the first snow of the season.
Asses Your Ceiling and Attic Ventilation
Roofs require proper attic ventilation to function properly. Without ventilation, heat from your home will rise into the roofing components and become trapped in the system, where moisture can build up and develop into ice dams or leaks.
To prevent moisture build-up in your roofing system, you should assess your current ceiling and attic ventilation solutions. Now may be a great time to install a new ceiling fan in your upper rooms to keep heat circulating.
Check for Signs of Leaks
The final step of your pre-winter preparation is checking for signs of water damage. Locating water damage now before it freezes will help you save time and money. You should look for water stains on the ceilings of your upper rooms and attic.
Schedule a Professional Roof Inspection
The best way to prepare your roof for winter is by scheduling a professional roof inspection. Professional roof inspectors assess all roofing system components for damage so you can locate and resolve even the most minor problems before they worsen. At Gotcha Covered Contracting, our knowledgeable roofing experts check the following items:
- Shingle condition
- Roof flashing
- Gutters
- Attic ventilation
- Fascia and soffit condition
- Structural support and stability
- Roof vents
- Signs of damage, decay, leaks, etc.
- And much more
Call Gotcha Covered Contracting in Pittsburgh, PA, today at 724-581-8147 so we can help you prepare your roof for winter!
