How to Protect Your Roof from the Massachusetts Winter
Keep roof repair costs down with proper maintenance.
With winter upon us and temperatures sometimes dropping into the teens, saving your roof from bad weather should be a top priority. With a good plan of action, you can keep your roof repair costs at a minimum and reduce the impact on your budget. Here are a few tips to guide you in protecting your roof this season.
Keep Rain Gutters Unclogged
Cleaning out your rain gutters will help prevent ice from building up and causing serious damage. If water freezes and is allowed to accumulate, neglected gutters can begin to pull away from the roof, resulting in a costly repair. If you find ice in one of your gutters, you can carefully break it up with a hammer and remove it. This process takes an experienced hand so if you are not sure how to remove ice from your roof or gutter, reach out to your roofing contractor for assistance.
Keep Roof’s Drain Spout Openings Clear
Make sure the openings around your drain spouts are free of any debris or other obstacles. This will make it easier for snow to melt and flow away from your house, instead of accumulating, freezing and causing problems.
Do you know how to remove ice from your roof?
Clear Snow and Debris from Your Roof
During harsh winter days, snow can collect on your roof and weigh heavily enough to cause serious damage or cause an older roof to collapse. Invest in a roof rake or use a plastic or light-weight shovel to remove snow from your roof before this becomes a problem. Remove debris, such as broken branches and twigs, to prevent holes. Clear or clean off animal droppings, which can cause mildew to form on your roof. If you find your roof is already damaged, a reputable roofing contractor in Massachusetts can make the repairs.
Prune Overhanging Branches
While trees may be beautiful in the winter with all that snow and ice attached to their branches, a tree’s loaded boughs spread over your roof can cause an increase in your roof repair costs. Even if the branches are not packed with snow or ice, branches can scratch against your roof’s shingles, creating holes and causing water damage to your house. Keeping your trees’ branches adequately pruned away will protect your roof from this preventable issue.
Check Your Attic Insulation
Look over the insulation in your attic and identify any gaps in coverage or reach out to a professional to do this for you. One easy way you can tell if more insulation is needed is to watch your roof after it snows. Notice where snow melts faster in some places than in others. The slower melting spots can indicate the need for more insulation in your attic in these areas.
If you are looking for an experienced roofing contractor in Massachusetts, contact us. Colony Home Improvement has more than 40 years of professional experience and is ready to assist you with your roofing repairs.
