Winter is coming. And while it means that you should start looking forward to long nights of hot chocolate, it also means snowstorms. Dealing with a pile of snow on your front lawn is easy. Just grab your showel and get on with it! However, winterproofing your flat roof is a whole new ballgame- one you might have ignored up till now.
Blankets of snow in your yard provide you with a good opportunity to build a snowman or an igloo. However, the accumulated snow on your roof can be a warning sign of huge damage ahead. This makes it all the more important for homeowners to prepare their roof for winter.
Regardless of what kind of roof you have – flat or sloped – you have to take adequate measures to ensure that your roof is capable of withstanding the harsh weather. Let us have a look at what steps you should take to prepare your flat roof for winter.
How to Prepare Your Roof for the Winter
1. Inspect the Roof
Before the winter season arrives, you need to hire a professional roofing contractor to get your roof inspected. A professional inspector will know about all the spots that are prone to damage and that are normally overlooked by a homeowner when they are inspecting the roof. Even after you have hired a contractor, make sure that they look for:
- Cracked or rusted flashings
- Punctures in membrane
- Open or loose seams
- Cracked caulking
- Gaps or separations
2. Clean Roof
Before getting your roof inspected, you need to clear all the debris – including broken branches, stray leaves, trash, and other equipment lying around on your roof. Any material that has accumulated on your roof may end up damaging your roof’s membrane. So make sure that your roof is cleared of all of these things.
3. Examine the Surrounding Areas
It is not enough to only inspect your roof. You will also have to see how the external factors may cause damage to your roof. If you have surrounding buildings, you should figure out how snow from these buildings can land on your roof and to what extent they will cause damage to your roofing structure.
Summary
Are you worried that the upcoming winter will be harmful to your roof? Well, if you take timely action, your roof will be able to withstand any kind of season. Roof inspection and the subsequent preparations cannot be solely carried out by you. Therefore, it is important that you hire a professional contractor to get the work done and prepare your roof for the harsh winter season.
