How to Prepare Your Roof for Winter
Most roof emergencies occur during the long Maine winter, and if you consider how hard it is just to get from your house to your car and to make your car operational during the months when there is snow on the ground, you will get an idea of how much more difficult it is to do roofing construction when there are ice and snow on the roof or anywhere else. Rather than having roofing contractors do risky repairs on your roof in the dead of winter, or even worse, having a tarp on your house instead of a roof on days when the temperature never goes above freezing, you can prevent a lot of emergency repairs by doing the appropriate maintenance on your roof before Halloween. Having the Portland, Maine roofing contractors at Double J Construction inspect and maintain your roof before the temperatures dip below freezing can help your roof stay in good condition this winter so you will not have to make any emergency repairs.
Clean the Gutters
Ice dams, where ice builds up around the edge of the roof, are one of the leading causes of wintertime roof damage, to say nothing of the fact that falling ice can cause serious injury. The best way that you can stop ice dams from forming on your house this winter is to clean your gutters regularly, so fall leaves do not build up.
Inspect the Shingles and Roof Flashing
Before the weather gets much colder, you should inspect the shingles on your roof and replace any shingles that are loose, broken, or missing. Don’t stop there, though. You should also inspect the flashing, which is the metal parts of the roof located at the joints and intersections of the roof and around the edges of the skylights and chimney. The purpose of the flashing is to direct water off of the roof, but if the flashing is cracked or loose, it can lead to the buildup of water and ice in the roof, reducing its structural integrity.
Trim the Trees in Your Yard
Sometimes you can avoid having to repair your roof just by trimming your trees, especially the branches that are right above or right next to your roof. It is bad news for your roof if branches that have broken loose during a storm fall on the roof, but that is not the only problem that branches near your roof can cause. Squirrels and other small animals can jump from the trees to your roof and squeeze into your attic or crawl space, where they can cause all kinds of problems.
Contact Double J Construction About Preparing Your Roof for Winter
The snow is coming to Maine sooner than you think. It may be too early to start Christmas shopping or even for choosing a Halloween costume, but it is not too early to start preparing your roof for winter. Contact Double J Construction in Portland, Maine about protecting your roof from seasonal hazards.
