Winter Is Coming: It’s Time to Prepare Your Metal Roofing
September 27, 2021 4:02 pm Leave your thoughtsThe fall season just officially started, but Alaskans know that means winter is just around the corner. We’ll soon be facing bitter-cold temperatures and brutal snowstorms. With that in mind, it’s time to start preparing your roof for winter.
Keep reading to learn what roof preparation entails and what can happen if you fail to prepare:
- Wrap up home improvement projects: If you’ve been working on any DIY roofing projects, like applying paint or patching any damaged areas, now’s the time to finish them up. Winter winds will start blowing sooner than you think, and those fallen leaves and twigs can make tackling DIY projects a bit tougher.
- Clean debris: Any of the debris that’s currently on your roof or gutters needs to be removed before winter sets in. Twigs can scratch up your roof, and leftover leaves can be breeding grounds for mold and fungus.
- Trim trees: You can do wonders to prevent debris from accumulating on your roof by trimming the branches of any trees that surround your roof. This step also lessens the chance of heavy branches collapsing on your roof after a snowstorm.
- Check insulation: Head up to your attic, and inspect the insulation under your roof. When your attic is under-insulated, your roof is more susceptible to ice dams, and you’ll have higher heating bills throughout the winter.
- Schedule an inspection: Your metal roofing should be inspected at least once a year by a professional—and those inspections are much harder to complete if your roof is covered in snow. An inspection will ensure your roof is in tip-top condition and doesn’t need to be repaired or replaced.
What happens if you neglect these steps?
Skipping these steps can have some dire consequences. Here are a few of the things that can happen if you don’t prepare your metal roofing for the winter season:
- Ice dams: An ice dam occurs when accumulated snow on the lower part of your roof starts to thaw and then refreezes when temperatures drop again. This process repeats, creating a barrier that traps water that backs up into your attic.
- Snow slides: If the snow doesn’t get trapped on your roof, it can come sliding off all at once. While snow sliding off onto the ground isn’t the worst thing that can happen, that heavy snow and ice can be a hazard for anyone standing below it.
- Collapsed roofs: The worst-case scenario is a complete roof collapse from all of the weight of snow and ice on your roof. Collapses are less likely to occur if you’ve had your roof inspected to ensure it’s structurally sound.
Do you need a new metal roof?
By preparing your roof for winter, you can expect your metal roof to last for decades before it needs to be replaced. But if your current metal roof is in poor condition or if you’d like to make the switch to a metal roof, hire the pros at Superior Products, Inc. to ensure the high-quality, long-lasting results you need.
Categorised in: Metal Roofing
This post was written by Writer