How to Maintain your Roof for Winter

Lean how to maintain you roof for winter and what roofing materials to select for your remodeling project

Faced towards the sky, roofs are protective shields against external elements. Roofing materials age from wind, heat, ultraviolet radiation, condensation, plant debris, fungus, and lack of maintenance. Worn and cracked roofing materials let in rainwater, setting off a chain reaction that begins with moisture and escalates to mold and mildew growth in your home. The National Roofing Contractors Association advises homeowners to inspect their roofs twice a year – once in the fall before the rainy season and a second time in late spring to determine how the roof weathered during winter. Cleaning your roof from debris and patching up wear and tear when necessary will prolong the life of your roof, and will help prevent wet emergencies that threaten the structure of your home and your family's health.

Regular Roof Maintenance

1. Inspect your roof annually for damage, and use the opportunity to clear debris and clean gutter.

2. Apply patch repairs to chimneys, skylights, roof vents and valleys, drainage areas, and where roofing joins other materials.

3. Look for wear and tear features that require replacement or clearing such as broken tiles, curling shingles or asphalt units with less granular layers, and excessive moss.

Green Roofing

1. Evade roofing materials like copper and zinc that leach pollutants into rainwater, and avoid products with moss inhibitors as they may contain toxins. Select recyclable roofing materials available in metal, asphalt shingle or fiber cement.

2. When selecting new roofing materials consider durability and easy maintenance features as well as long-term warranties.

3. Choose light-colored roofing materials to prevent unwanted heat gain.

4. Low slope roofs can be remodeled into green roofs. Although of higher initial costs, in the long run green roofs reduce maintenance costs as well as rainwater runoff and heat gain.

5. Homes from the 1940's were built without eaves, allowing rainwater to invade walls and causing mold and mildew growth as well as making the home harder to heat during winter. If your home dates back to the 1940s, make sure to install eaves.