A Winter Checklist for Your Roof: Avoid Water Damage

01 Nov A Winter Checklist for Your Roof: Avoid Water Damage

Winter is on its way, and for us here in Palatine, winter brings months and months of cold, snow, wind, and ice. At Aspen Exterior Company, we work year-round in order to provide Chicagoland homeowners and businesses with the finest, highest-quality roofing solutions, but the winter season requires special precautions. Even if you’re not in need of a completely new roof, we’d still recommend taking some basic steps in order to prepare yourself for the winter. The friendly roofing contractors here at our roofing company in Palatine, IL are waiting to help you through the winter roofing preparation process. Here are a few things that you should do to prepare for winter.

Prevent Ice Dams

Here in the cold, snowy climate of suburban Chicago, ice dams are a real concern. You may be asking, what is an ice dam? In cold weather, heat that escapes your home can melt and refreeze ice and snow on your roof, which leads to ice dams. Ice dams block off drains and let water and ice continually build up on your roof. This weakens your roof and puts your home at risk. To prevent this, there are a few different things you can do for your home:

• Insulate your attic: First, check your attic to make sure it has adequate insulation. Check things like pipes and vents, chimney systems, and light fixtures to ensure they are all properly sealed.
• Ventilate your attic: This may seem, counterintuitive, but ventilating your attic actually helps cold air get into the attic, while insulation seals heat in your living areas. Doing this can help prevent warm air from melting ice on the roof, leading to possible damage.

Clean Your Gutters

If your gutters get clogged up with leaves in the fall, they can cause water to pool around them on your roof. And then when the temperature drops below freezing, this water can freeze, leading to additional blockage. These blocked gutters can allow melting ice and snow to seep through your roof or flood your home’s foundation, causing damage. Before winter hits, have somebody come out to clear out your gutters.

Prevent Snow Buildup

According to a study by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, the average home can hold up to four feet of snow before it gets stressed. This may seem like a lot, but here in Palatine, IL, you never know what winter is going to bring, and snow can build up over time. The worst case scenario is that your roof could collapse or be significantly weakened.  One way to prevent this is by removing heavy snowfall from your roof.  Depending on the type of roof you have, it may be necessary to hire a roofing contractor to assist you.

Hire a Roofing Professional

If you need help or additional suggestions for preparing your roof for winter, contact Aspen Exterior Company. Our goal is to ensure that everybody is 100 percent satisfied with our services, and we look forward to helping you prepare your roof for winter.