Few Dangers Your Roof Might Face This Winter

if you are looking to extend your roof lifespan and avoid unnecessary expenses during storms, below are 5 things you need to make sure you have addressed properly so that your roof will be happy and cause minimal disruptions to your daily life, not to mention going easy on your wallet.

DANGER 1: CONDENSATION If you leave in cold states you have to problems, excessive rains, and snow. With changes in temperatures in places where warm air meets a cold surface, condensation will occur. This can happen when you have improperly insulated attic space and warm air heats up your roof surface from inside your attic, mixing with the cold surface on the outside of your roof. This problem can lead to the formation of mold and mildew, damaging the interior of your structure and possibly your house.  To prevent condensation buildup, make sure your attic is properly insulated and ventilated

DANGER 2: FLASHING LEAKS Alsmos every roof has ventilation, some have chimneys, some skylights, and some have both. In this case, at some point in your life, you came across leaky flashing. Flashing is referred to strips of metal placed along your roof edges, corners, and ridges of your roof, and also around your chimney, skylights, and ventilation pipes.  If not maintained properly, or during a violent storm, they can pull away from your roofing material and cause water leaks.  Inspect your flashing at least once a year to help it prevent from damaging your roof and interior of your home from excessive rains or snow. 

DANGER 3: Icelcles Icicles are typically formed on sunny days in wintertime. Often they result from clogged gutters and downspouts, and their excessive weight can cause damages to gutters and sometimes to the roof as well. In addition, they can pose a real danger to you and your pets if you happen to walk under them and risk them coming loose and falling. To discourage the formation of icicles keep your gutters free of leaves, needles, and other debris. I discuss how properly keep maintain and clean your gutters in my article, click here. 

DANGER 4: Ice dams Ice dams have been known to occur on your roof after an extended period of time. They form when the upper area of your roof begins to thaw, and the lower perimeter still remains frozen. Melting snow and ice from the warmer section of the roof flows down and re-freezes on the lower section and gutters, creating an ice dam. As it continues to form, the water pulls under your roof layer and is likely to leak into your home causing damage. 

If your roof is more than 10 years old, you might want to have a professional roofer check your valleys for potential leak problems. There is no way to eliminate this problem completely, but with proper roof ventilation in place, this problem can be minimized.