It's that time of year where you can feel the cold weather creeping in. As the cold weather approaches, it's important to prepare your roof for winter. The fall and winter months mean colder weather, more rain, and the chance of ice and snow. These harsher weather conditions can wreak havoc on your roof if you aren't careful, so it’s best to be prepared. To help keep the chill out of our home and to make sure your roof is up to shape for the cold season ahead, you should start thinking about some roof maintenance! Here are some simple steps to take when maintaining your roof for the cold weather ahead to avoid a roofing accident that could cost you a roofing replacement or worse, a whole new roof!

Keep Your Drains And Gutters Clear
Your drains and guttering are there to make sure your home has an efficient drainage system, so it’s important that you keep them clear from blockages at all times. This is even more so important in the winter months, as clear gutters and drains allow melting snow and ice a place to flow rather than building up and creating a leak or forming a damp patch. Moss, leaves, grime, and any other obstructions should be regularly cleaned from your drains and gutters to avoid roofing issues later down the line.

Inspect And Repair Your Flashing
It’s important to inspect your flashing in the months leading up to winter and make any necessary repairs if needed. Any warped or loose flashing should be replaced or repaired by a professional roofing company as soon as possible, otherwise you could potentially develop leaks and damp build-up. If you leave poorly conditioned flashing to ride out the winter months, you’re bound to have double the repair work waiting for you when spring comes around! If you can’t inspect your flashing yourself, you can hire a roofing company to come out and check your roof for you.

Replace Loose Shingles
Before winter hits, you should take a look at your shingles and replace any that are loose, broken, or missing. If you’re unsure of how to tell whether a shingle needs replacing or not, a good sign to look for is debris such as twigs and leaves lodged underneath your shingles. Alternatively, you can get a roofing company to come out and access your roof for you and make any necessary repairs.

Improve Attic Ventilation
If you want to avoid ice dams on your roof, you’ll want to invest in good attic ventilation. Your attic sits below your roof, and so a good ventilation system will help to melt any snow or ice stuck to your roof. To check your attic ventilation, close up all ingress openings in your attic and hold a piece of tissue paper up towards your exhaust vents - if you can’t see any air movement, you’ll need to upgrade your ventilation or get a roofing company to check your vents for possible insulation blockages. You can add more vents to your attic or free up the ones you currently have for better airflow.

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