Prep your roof for Santa and his reindeer this holiday season with East Texas Roof Works’ winter guide. Today, we’re going to tell you exactly what roofing problems you can expect in Texas this December, and how to avoid or resolve these roofing issues.
Leaf Build Up & Gutter Clogs
Fall is sticking around a little late this year, which is great for us roofers! Fall is one of the best seasons to complete roofing projects. But it’s also the time of the year where leaves and debris clog gutters. This can quickly lead to roof water damage and costly structural damage. To prevent any serious damage, either you or a roofing professional should clean out your home’s downspouts regularly.
We recommend cleaning your gutters from the ground though, as ladders can quickly spell disaster. You can try hosing debris out of your gutters or even using a leaf blower. If the flow of water is still blocked, consider calling East Texas Roof Works. We’ll send out our roofing professionals to thoroughly clean your gutters.
Ice Dams Create Structural roofing Issues
Tyler, Texas doesn’t get much snow but it does get plenty of rainfall, and temperatures can drop down to twenty-something degrees during winter. This can cause ice dams– a serious roofing problem that plagues homeowners across the United States. Ice dams are ridges of ice that form along a roof when water freezes before it can drain through the gutters. Removing ice dams can be dangerous so you should always defer to a professional roofing contractor like East Texas Roof Works. Aside from ice dam removal, it will be a top priority to properly insulate your attic to protect your roof from ice dams anytime the temperature drops below the freezing point.
Condensation Causes Internal roofing issues
The term condensation might not scare you much. You’ve seen drops of water beading up on your soda on hot summer days, and the phenomenon seemed to be innocuous enough. Unfortunately, roof condensation is a lot different and much more serious. Condensation happens whenever there’s too much moisture in the air inside your home. You probably already know that heat rises, so as it warms up and the moisture reaches your attic, it clashes with the cool air outside and turns into water droplets.
Now, this is nowhere near as serious as a roof leak and it’s easy enough to repair– if you catch it in time! If left unattended, the roof condensation can soak into the beams in your attic and cause wood rot. Once again, the best way to prevent this is to ensure your attic is properly insulated. Most homes don’t have proper insulation so make sure to inspect it before it gets too cold out to prevent heated air from escaping to the attic.
Tree Branches
Everything seems to be more brittle and delicate in the winter– this includes tree branches and shingles. Trees commonly lose their branches during the winter season due to freezing temperatures and high winds. This probably doesn’t affect you much, but it could affect your shingles that are more prone to cracking in cold weather. To better protect your home’s shingles, we recommend trimming away any low-hanging branches well before any extreme winter weather hits. You don’t want to be caught in another situation like Winter Storm Uri in 2021.
East Texas Roof Repairs & Maintenance– We Can Fix Any Roofing Issue
There are a plethora of things that could cause roof damage to your East Texas home this winter season. Stay prepared and know which roofing company you can trust to resolve emergency roofing issues. You could end up dealing with snow buildup, roof leaks, damaged chimney flashing, and so much more. Save yourself some money by setting up a roofing inspection well before the winter weather hits and staying current with your off-season maintenance. Want to learn more about what you can expect this winter and what your options are? Give East Texas Roof Works a call today.
