Keep Your Roof Safe This Winter

Vancouver weather can be extreme, going from balmy temperatures to below freezing in no time. Are you prepared for the next snowstorm?

To avoid costly fixes before damage occurs, hire an experienced roofing contractor to safely remove ice and snow from your roof during the winter months.

Here’s how to take care of your roof during winter.

Causes of roof damage

Winter weather can quickly damage your home. While some roof repairs may be minor, other repairs could cost thousands. You can expect to pay about $575 for shingle roof repairs and up to $6,000 if you need to replace your asphalt roof due to ice and snow damage.

These are some of the problems that you need to be aware of:

Snow load: It doesn’t take long for ice buildup and snow load to accumulate on the roof of your house. If left for too long, this added weight can quickly damage roof gutters and shingles and can lead to structural damage.
Water leaks: As ice and snow melts from warmer temperatures and heat from the interior of your home, it could lead to water seeping through shingles and onto the structure of the roof, which may cause small leaks into the attic.
Ice dams: Melting ice and snow can quickly re-freeze when it’s trapped, creating ice dams along roof edges. These dams can obstruct the flow of melting snow so that water pools on the roof and causes serious damage to shingles. Trapped water can also seep down into the attic and through to ceilings in your living areas.

Removing ice and snow

Removing snow and ice from your roof can help prevent many winter roof problems. As tempting as it may be to do it yourself, it’s best to leave snow and ice removal to a contractor who is properly trained and insured and has the proper equipment and tools. Using a long-handled ice scraper or even shoveling snow could cause damage your shingles or even worse, yourself!

Downspouts and gutters

Ice buildup in downspouts and gutters is a common problem in the winter. Any debris inside the spouts and gutters will cause water to back up and freeze when the temperature drops. To avoid this problem, make sure to regularly clean the gutter system to keep it clean and clear of leaves and other debris.

Skylights

In winter months, snow covers up “weep holes,” holes placed around the edges of the glass. When these holes are covered, condensation forms on the inside causing water to drip into your home. When you hire a contractor for snow removal, make sure to let them know that you have skylights that need extra care to avoid damage.