Winter is Coming: Is Your Roof Prepared?

It’s now Fall in San Antonio, but Winter is coming and will soon be here before you know it. Is your roof ready? “How would I know,” you might ask. Well, unless your roof is brand new, you may not know for sure without a professional roof assessment.

With that being said, there are some simple tasks you can do to help prepare your roof for the coming Winter season. Let’s review.

Give Your Roof a Personal Inspection

One of the first things you’ll want to do this Fall is to self-inspect your roof. You can do this by simply walking around your home and checking for signs of obvious damage or wear and tear.

Things to look for:

• Cracked or damaged shingles
• Granules on any paved areas around the home (sign of wearing shingles)
• Damaged flashing
• Subtle openings in your roof (which could cause leaks)
• Dark spots on your roof (which may be a sign of water damage)

If you notice any of these things, at least minor roof repair work may be needed on your home. The best thing to do after performing your own personal inspection is to jot down some notes about your findings. This will help a roofing contractor better assess and identify what roof damages need repair.

You’ll want to take care of this sooner than later as weather conditions are not as favorable during the Winter for major repairs or roof replacements.

Clean Out Your Gutters

While the autumn leaf colors are pleasant to see this time of year, this is also when leaves tend to pile up on your gutters. Before Winter arrives, you’ll want to make sure to clean out the leaves from your gutters.

During the Winter, the weather also tends to be wetter. When leaves are clogging up your gutters, they are not able to work as effectively and tend to store water near your roof. When this happens, your roof becomes much more susceptible to water damage and mold. So be sure to put on gloves and scoop out all the leaves and debris from your gutters before Winter weather is more prominent.

Trim Trees Close to Your Home

The Fall is a great time to trim trees that neighbor your home. Naturally, when tree branches are rubbing up against your home, they are also scratching the surface of the roof. With enough time, this constant encroachment is going to wear down areas of your roof faster. So you want to be sure any tree branches near your home aren’t hovering over your roof.

In addition, during the colder, wetter months of Winter, water that runs off of trees and onto your roof can begin to create ice dams, which will damage your roof during the season. This is when ice melts and freezes again in a cycle on your roof. So it’s best to keep your roof clear of any nearby tree branches altogether.

Have a Look in the Attic

After you’ve taken care of the outside work, next, have a look inside your attic. You’re looking for signs of light entering from the outside visible inside your attic. If you see this, it could mean that there is hole somewhere in your roof where not only water can enter, but heat can escape.

This is an important step in the self-roof inspection because you’re identifying if your roof may have a leak as well as if heat is escaping. If it is, you can be sure that your energy bills are going to be higher in the Winter because your heater is working harder to keep the home warm.

Consider a Professional Roof Assessment

While proper roof maintenance is essential to preparing your roof for Winter, it’s always best to have it checked by a professional roofing company to ensure it is in optimal condition. If you notice any of the previous signs of damage mentioned, you’ll certainly want to have your roof checked because it may need at least some repair.

At Norwest Roofing in San Antonio, we have helped many homeowners with their roofing needs to ensure they have the best working roof possible. We offer free estimates and a 10-year workmanship warranty on all roof repairs and replacements. So if you want to be sure that your roof is prepared for Winter, we encourage you to contact us. We will make sure your roof is ready to tackle the Winter season with ease.