How to Protect Your Roof From Damage During the Colder Months
The colder seasons usually bring with them lower temperatures, strong winds and frequent bouts of rain. These conditions can have quite a negative impact on the condition of your roof. Here are two ways to protect this area of your property from damage throughout this time of year.
Pay close attention to the gutters
The gutters that surround your home play an important role in protecting the roof, the foundation and the siding from water damage. They are designed to collect and direct rainwater away from your house.
Gutters can only perform their intended purpose if they are free from debris, such as twigs, foliage and bird droppings. If they become clogged, excess water could accumulate on your roof and result in the growth of algae, lichen and moss, all of which have the potential to damage the materials from which your roof is made. Unfortunately, during the autumn and winter seasons, gutters can quickly become blocked by falling leaves, twigs and other forms of debris. Due to the frequent rainstorms that tend to occur during this period of the year, moss can also grow inside them and create blockages.
This is why you must take steps to keep your gutters fully functioning. Get into the habit of checking and cleaning your gutters on a regular basis throughout the colder seasons. If you have a sturdy ladder and some heavy-duty gloves and are not afraid of heights, you can do this yourself. If not, consider paying a local tradesperson to carry out this job for you.
Additionally, consider installing gutter covers; these will slow down the rate at which the gutters fill with debris.
Have your trees trimmed
During the autumn and winter months, roof contractors frequently perform repairs on roofs which have been damaged by nearby trees. This type of damage tends to occur either because the entire tree has fallen onto the roof during a storm or because branches have snapped off and broken or cracked several shingles.
As such, if you have any trees around your home which are located close to your roof (particularly if their branches hang directly above it), then it's sensible to have these trimmed by a professional tree service before the weather begins to take a turn for the worst. If any of your trees are showing signs of instability (for example, if they are leaning to one side), then it might be necessary to have them cut down to prevent them from falling onto your roof during windy weather. Whilst this might seem like an unnecessary expense, it could actually save you a lot of money (in the form of roof repair bills) in the long run.