Most Common Winter Roofing Problems
You probably feel a little apprehensive towards winter’s first snow fall for a few reasons…shoveling your driveway, navigating snowy roads, and more. However, wintery weather can take quite a toll on your roof if you’re unaware and unprepared, that’s why we put together this blog to keep you in the know about the most common winter roofing problems and what to do about them.
4 Winter Roofing Issues
Your roof has an important job to do: protecting your home against the elements, including snow and ice. However, the demands of wintery weather can push a roof to the limit. These are the most important winter roofing issues you need to keep an eye out for:
- Snow Leaks – Water leaking through a roof can absolutely destroy it – in fact, it’s one of the most common things that does. When snow gets trapped on the roof, it slowly begins to melt and infiltrate the surface. The most common areas for snow to get stuck and cause winter roofing problems are around the roof line, by a chimney, or in a valley.
- Winter Winds – High wind speeds can rip the shingles off a roof any time of year. However, aggressive winter winds definitely have the habit of doing that, more so than during any other season. If your roof is in good shape, the shingles will be able to hold fast – but if your roof is old, they are very much at risk. After a strong winter wind event, check out your lawn for any shingles that got knocked loose.
- Excessive Snow Load – An absolutely catastrophic winter roofing issue – but fortunately, it isn’t very common. Snow load is the term that refers to the amount of extra weight from snow your roof can handle. After a blizzard dumps inch-after-inch on an area of your roof, the extra weight can cause heavy damage. In some cases, the excessive snow load can cause the roof to collapse.
- Ice Dams – Ice dams are a winter roofing phenomenon in which the snow on the middle of the roof melts, gets stuck in clogged gutters, and re-freezes. This creates a large dam of solid ice on the roof edges that keeps melted snow from draining away. With nowhere to drain, this melted snow tends to leak right into your roof, causing real damage. Roofs with clogged or blocked gutter systems are much more susceptible to ice dams, so this is just another reason cleaning your gutters is a necessary fall chore.
Any of these winter roofing issues can become serious if they’re left alone. However, if you’re like most homeowners, you don’t want to get up on your roof for any reason at all, least of all after it’s just snowed. That’s why we make our roofing teams available to handle your winter roofing emergencies, as well as all of your other roofing issues.
Get a New Roof This Winter & Save
While winter can be a taxing season on an old roof that has seen better days, it can also be the perfect time for a full roof replacement. There’s a common misconception that you can’t install a new roof until spring. However, that old line is exactly that: a misconception.
If the roofing installers are skilled, you can install a new roof on the coldest day of the year with no problems. As an added benefit to scheduling over the winter, you may be able to get an even better off-season price.
So, just how confident can you be to get a new roof from Dykstra Knight this winter? 100% confident. No matter when we install your roof, we guarantee unbeatable quality.
When you’re ready to start the conversation, we’re ready to help. Contact us for winter roofing repairs and for a free quote!