While Indianapolis winters don’t last very long, there’s no doubt it’s winter when the cold weather arrives. Between the frigid temperatures, strong wind gusts, and snowy weather, your roof experiences a lot during a typical Indianapolis winter season. We’re going to share our best tips with you on how to properly prepare your roof for the upcoming adverse weather conditions.
Cut Back Trees and Shrubbery
The best place to start to prep your roof for winter is by trimming back any greenery that’s in the area. If there are any branches hanging over your home, trim them back. If there is any vining shrubbery or very large bushes that are up against your roof, they need to be trimmed back. You should ensure that there is no greenery in direct contact with your roof or within a close vicinity where foliage or limbs can fall onto your roof. Just because a tree limb is healthy doesn’t mean that it can’t break under the force of heavy snow or strong wind gusts.
Clean Debris Off Your Roof
Next, you want to clean all the debris off of your roof. Leaves, pinecones, pine needles, algae growth, and all other types of debris will naturally accumulate moisture over time. When any of these moisture masses come in direct contact with your roofing material, it can prematurely deteriorate it and increase your risk of experiencing a water leak. It’s best to remove all the material and have your roof treated by a professional if it has algae growth to prevent future growth from occurring.
Clean Out Gutters
Throughout the year, your gutters can accumulate a lot of debris. Unfortunately, that debris inside your gutters can cause water to back up. If your gutters get too full, water won’t be able to leave fast enough and will end up backing up underneath your shingles. This can be very damaging to your roof.
To prevent this issue, you want to ensure that you clean out your gutters and downspouts. Ensure that all your downspouts release the water at least six feet away from your home’s foundation. It’s a good idea to use your hose to put water in your gutters and test to ensure that there are no blockages within the downspouts.
Examine Your Attic Vents
It may seem like it makes the most sense to close off the vents in your attic during the winter months to help keep heat in. However, this isn’t the best idea. It’s important to realize that insulation in your attic is responsible for trapping heat inside your home during the wintertime.
Above that insulation, it’s helpful to have cold winter air moving through your attic so that your roofing materials don’t get too warm. If you close off all the ventilation to your attic, heat from your home will penetrate the underside of your roof and typically lead to ice damming. This is not only damaging to your home but can also be very dangerous when you’re walking outside your house. If you’re worried about rodents entering your attic during the winter, simply use a mesh fencing material to cover the vents so they can’t come in.
Get a Professional Inspection
Fall is the perfect time of year to invest in a professional roof inspection. This is where a roofer will come out to your home and assess your entire roofing structure, from your flashing all the way down to your gutters. They will alert you of any potential problems your roof may have, like a loose or missing piece of flashing. This will allow you to have the issues fixed before the winter weather hits. Furthermore, a roof inspection also comes with the great benefit of learning how much longer your roof is likely to last.
Check Your Attic For Water Leaks
As the fall weather chills down your attic, it’s a great time to head up and do some inspecting. You want to look for any location where there are water stains or rotting. It can be helpful to know where these locations are and if you have an issue so that you can have it investigated further by a roofing professional. It’s advisable to examine your attic during a rainstorm as the leaks will be more prominent if they’re there.
Check Insulation Level
While you’re up in the attic, you should take note of the state of your insulation. Insulation should be situated between the floor joists and come up to the uppermost portion of the joist. If your insulation seems to be sitting down below the top of the floor joist, it could be an indication that you need to upgrade your insulation.
An easy tip is to pull out a tape measure and stick it down to measure the thickness of the insulation in your attic. With most types of insulation, one inch will be equal to around 5 R-value. This means that if you measure your insulation to be four inches thick, then it likely has an R-value of 20. Realize that this is a quick and dirty method that will vary depending on the type of insulation you have.
However, it’s a great method for getting a general idea of your existing R-value. This way, you can compare it to the recommended R-value for your area of the country. If you determine that your insulation is not up to standards, it’s time to invest in more insulation. Remember that you need adequate insulation to trap heat inside your home and prevent it from overheating your roof and causing ice damming.
Don’t Put Off Replacement Service
While it would be nice if roofs lasted forever, they don’t. As your roof nears the end of its lifespan, it will be much more susceptible to issues. Whether it’s loose shingles blowing off in a nasty storm or flashing rusting through and allowing water to leak into your attic, these are all issues that can be avoided. If you keep up with regular roof inspections, you’ll know when it’s time for a replacement. Ideally, you’ll want to schedule a replacement before wintertime as the cold weather will take a bigger toll on your roof than the rest of the year.
Use a Roof Rake
Roof rakes can be extremely helpful when your home ends up getting a lot of snow on top of it. Snow is heavy and can put stress on your roof’s overall structure. A roof rake comes with a fairly long handle and allows you to essentially brush the majority of the snow off of your roof. This is a good practice to do during heavy snowfalls to help protect the integrity of your roof.
Helpful Roof Maintenance Service
[company_name] offers helpful roof maintenance services for homeowners throughout the entire Indianapolis community. Our roofers can help you with all your roof repairs, insurance claims, siding, gutter, window, and painting needs. Contact our staff today to book your next service consultation with one of our highly knowledgeable residential roofing professionals.