Each winter, your home is exposed to various forms of roofing damage from snow, wind, ice, and freeze-thaw conditions. Here are some recommendations to help you take the best care of your home's roof this winter.

Clean Up After a Storm

A lot of roof damage can happen during and after a storm in your area. Heavy winds can blow loose roofing materials and can leave debris on your roof that will hold in moisture against the shingles that cause rot and moisture damage.

It is important that you check around your home and roof after a winter storm is over to see if there are any broken or loose shingles, flashing, or edging, which should be repaired as soon as possible. If you leave a shingle missing from your roof, the next rainstorm that occurs will saturate the roofing layers and can lead to interior moisture damage. Clear off any fallen leaves, twigs, or branches from your roof so they don't cause future issues to your roof shingles and the roof's structure.

Watch Out For Ice Damage

If there is a layer of snow on your roof, keep an eye on it for signs of ice dam formation. This will cause thick ice to build up along the edge of the roof and form icicles down the roof's edge as well. When this occurs, you should have your roof checked for ice dam damage, which you may need to remedy by installing and using ice dam prevention and protection along your roof. You can build your own ice dam temporary protection by filling a stocking with ice melt and laying it at the edge of your roof where the ice has built up. As the ice melt sits on the ice, it will melt the ice and leave a passage for snowmelt to run from your roof and safely off without forming more ice dam layers.

It is also a good idea to install a permanent fix to your roof to keep ice dam formation from occurring. Add in good roof ventilation within the attic, which your roofing professional can help you with, and you should ensure your attic space remains cool in the winter. Your roofer can recommend services to inspect your roof and seal up energy leaks that cause a warm attic. Another addition you can add to your roof is a line of heating cables to melt ice dam formation before it becomes a problem. This type of cable is installed along the edge of your roof where ice dams occur, and you can switch them on and off as you need in order to melt collecting ice.

Know When to Hire an Inspection

There are times when you may suspect your home has roofing damage, whether from ice dam damage or from a heavy wind storm that has caused roof damage around your neighborhood. It is always best to hire a roofer to check out your roof's integrity and repair any small issues because small problems can cause serious and expensive damage later on.

Contact a roofing service near you to learn more.