5 Tips to Prepare Your Roof for Winter

Although the mild weather seems to be hanging on this autumn, winter is on its way, and that can mean storms, if not snow. This will inevitably put pressure on your roof as it does its job of protecting you from the weather, so you’ll need to make sure it’s in great condition.

So here are five tips to prepare your roof for winter.

1. Inspect Your Roof from Outside

Your roof needs to be inspected a minimum of twice a year, and one of those needs to be around now — before winter sets in. Holes in the roof might not cause too many problems in the summer, but they could cause damp, rotted timbers and mould during the winter.

The most obvious things to look for are cracked or missing tiles, or tears in the fabric if you have a flat roof. Check any places, too, that have flashing to seal a cavity when the roof meets masonry, such as a chimney stack. Since you won’t be able to get very close up to any of these, you could use binoculars.

2. Inspect Your Roof from Inside

Small holes in your roof can be difficult to make out from the outside, so you also need to look from the inside of your roof space. Go up during the day and turn all lighting off — if you can see a pinprick of daylight through the roof, you have a hole.

While you’re up there, don’t forget to inspect the timbers for any sign of dampness or rot. That could also be a sign that water’s getting through the roof.

3. Inspect Your Roof for Moss and Mould

As well as holes, keep your eyes open for moss growing on the roof. While it can look picturesque, it’s likely to cause water to pool, instead of running off, and the weight can break your roofing materials.

This needs to be cleaned off carefully — not by blasting it with a high-pressure hose, which could damage the roof.

4. Clean Your Guttering

The purpose of your gutters and downpipes is to enable water to run off your roof and be directed safely down into the drains. If the system is either cracked or blocked, it won’t be able to do this job. A blockage will lead to water pooling on the roof, while a crack will result in water seeping into the foundations and causing damage there.

The guttering needs to be methodically cleaned off all the leaves, twigs, dirt and other debris that’s built up, while the downpipes need to be rodded. At the same time, any damage to the guttering must be repaired as soon as possible.

5. Cut Back Trees Near Your Roof

One of the most likely ways for your roof to be damaged in the winter storms is for a tree branch to break off and fall on it. This means that, if you have trees growing near the house, you need to check if any branches are overhanging and have them cut back.

One or two of these jobs, such as checking for damage and cleaning the gutters, can be done by an experienced DIYer, but in general roofing repairs (especially anything that involves going onto the roof) should be left to the professionals. Give us a call to find out how we can help prepare your roof for winter.