Your roof is one of the most important parts of your home. It keeps you and your family safe and dry during bad weather. That’s why it’s so important to take steps to safeguard your roof from hazardous weather.
In this blog post, we’ll discuss some tips that’ll help you keep your roof in good condition. Follow these tips and you can rest a little easier next time the stormy season comes around.
1. Clean Your Gutters
Your gutters play an important role in keeping your roof safe from damage. Their main function is to direct rainwater away from the house and into a drainage system. Over time, debris such as leaves, twigs, dirt, and other random scraps can build up in your gutters and block them off.
This causes water to collect on top of the shingles instead of being directed down through them. If water collects on top of your home’s shingles for long enough, it can lead to leaks or even cracks in the shingles themselves!
The water buildup also attracts insects (like mosquitoes) that breed in that murky water. And who wants mosquitoes around? But if the pesky insects start using your water buildup as breeding grounds, pretty soon you could have an infestation on your hands. So, do yourself a favor and clean out any standing water whenever possible, but especially after a storm.
2. Check for Loose Shingles
Another way to safeguard your house from inclement weather is to check your roof for loose shingles. Over time, shingles can become loose and start to curl up. When they curl up, they become more susceptible to being ripped off the roof by heavy gusts of wind and intense bouts of rain.
When they fall out of place, they leave the next layer of shingles exposed. Eventually, that exposed area will be the place you can expect an unwelcome leak to occur.
Leaks are no fun. And the problem is, besides being annoying, they can cause some major problems such as mold and rot. If you have to get rid of mold or rot in your roof, you’re in for an expensive and unappealing process. So, make sure you check for any loose or missing shingles before the stormy season hits.
3. Get a Roof Inspection
Additionally, make sure you get your roof inspected every so often for leaks and other potential problems that may arise over time. Getting a regular inspection will help ensure that nothing slips under the radar until it’s too late.
Though it depends on who you ask and where you live, it’s commonly recommended that you get your roof inspected 1-2 times per year. If you live in an area with severe rain and wind storms, you also might want to get it inspected after said big storms. Setting a habit now to have it inspected regularly can be life-saving (and wallet-saving) in the future.
If you don’t know who to call for a roof inspection, simply ask friends and neighbors for referrals or look up good companies online. You’ll find there are some great roofing companies out there, like Mighty Dog Roofing West Fort Worth, who would be happy to do an inspection for you. They can also give you an estimate and even more tips on how to protect your roof from hazardous storms.
4. Strengthen the Roof
If you’re really looking for ways to safeguard your roof from severe weather, you might even want to consider strengthening it. You can do this by adding more layers of shingles (which will give the wind less leverage when trying to rip them off) or by using a stronger material than asphalt shingles (like slate).
You can also install roof strappings. Roof strappings adhere the framing of the roof to the framing of the house’s walls. With roof strappings, your roof is much less likely to be caught by heavy winds and ripped from your home.
5. Trim the Trees
If tree branches are hanging over your house or within close proximity to it, you’ll want to get them trimmed (or removed completely). As you’re probably all too familiar with, strong gusts of wind can rip branches off trees or knock over trees in their entirety! This is especially true if the roots have been weakened by poor soil conditions or excess moisture in the ground. And let’s be honest: a whole tree or even a branch through the roof isn’t exactly what you had in mind for your new ceiling fan.
So, don’t risk having these large branches come through the roof. Repairs would be disgustingly expensive. Instead, as we said, just clear the land close to your house and trim your trees so the large, heavy, and potentially less healthy branches aren’t an issue.
6. Clear the Ice
And finally, if you live in an area where it snows (or even rains), make sure to clear the ice and snow from your roof. This may seem like common sense, but a lot of people forget about this easy step until it’s too late!
As you’ve probably witnessed, snow on your roof after a snowstorm can be a mess… and super heavy! But ice is even heavier. In fact, the weight from ice buildup can cause serious damage to the integrity of your roof.
So, when beautiful icicles start forming on your rain gutters and roof after a storm, remember they’re not just fun decorations. Why? Because, as we’ve mentioned before, water is not your friend when it comes to roofs.
Rather, the icicles will cause more water to pool and seep through cracks, again damaging and rotting the roof. So, after a winter storm, remove the snow and ice from your roof as soon as you can.
Conclusion
Remember, your roof is there to protect you. So, don’t leave it unprotected! Do all you can to fortify and strengthen it so it’s ready for the hazardous storms it might have to withstand.
After all, if your yard is a mess due to the wind’s destructive course, you don’t want to have to worry about putting a new roof over your head as well. So, follow these tips to help you safeguard your home from harsh weather conditions. That way, your house can stand strong for years and years to come.