Now that fall is here, the winter season is quickly approaching. Is your roof ready for the freezing weather and snow headed our way in just a few short months? Snow and ice damage affects a lot of home roofs in the Truckee, California areas. Nickerson Roofing want to help prepare your home for this upcoming winter season. Now is a great time for a roofing inspection to ensure your roof is ready and able to handle the extreme cold weather conditions headed straight for us. We will also cover a few tips on how to prevent snow and ice buildup and what damage to expect from the snow.
Preventing Snow & Ice Damage
A good practice to have during the winter is to keep your attic cool. Your attic needs to be properly insulated and allow just enough heat to escape. This will melt the snow slowly and more safely. If the snow melts too quickly, it can cause dangerous ice dams, clog gutters, damage your roof. Sharp ice sickles that can be rather dangerous.
How To Prevent Snow Ice Buildup on Your Roof
Next, try to avoid having snow build up on your roofs. Easier said than done right? However it is important. Most roofs are built to withstand only so much weight. The home that’s built in the higher mountain range can typically withstand more weight but you still will want to remove the snow after every major snow storm. Good rule to follow is never let more than a foot of snow set on your roof at any given time. You can use a roof rake to remove the snow. Most come with a pole extender that will give you a reach of 20 feet. Don’t try to remove every flake of snow, just the bulk of it.
Importance of Quality Gutters
Having good quality gutters and keeping them clean is also important. Ice and snow can build up inside gutters and with the extra weight, poor quality gutter systems can wander away from your roof siding. This causes damage that can be rather expensive to replace. Nickerson Roofing recommends 18 gauge welded steel guttering to withstand our extreme cold weather conditions in the North Lake Tahoe Basin of California. Do your best to keep the gutters cleaned out. This can be a dangerous job so you may want to use a professional to tackle that job.
Melting Snow & Ice on Roof
Melting snow and ice can back up and sneak under the shingles, allowing water to seep into the cracks in the roof. This is one of the common causes of those ugly brown stains you may see in your ceilings. Knocking off icicles is not recommended, and can easily cause damage to eaves, flashing and gutters. If you’re unsure, a professional roofer can assist with proper removal if the weather doesn’t ease up enough for them to melt. Nickerson Roofing offers many effective snow removal devices.
End of Winter Season Roof Inspection
At the end of the winter season and at the beginning of spring, we strongly suggest you have your roof inspected. It is best to repair the small damages quickly rather than allowing them to become a bigger problem. If you choose to do the inspections yourself, be extremely careful. There might be a lot of unseen damage done that can be dangerous when walking on your roof. You may want to do a visual inspection. If any area needs a closer look, use binoculars. If you feel that there might be a problem, hiring a professional roofing company may be the best and safest way.
Roof Inspections, Emergency Repairs, Preventive Maintenance, Installation & Replacements in Truckee, Mystic, Floriston, Olympic Valley, Alpine Meadows, Tahoe City, Dollar Point, Ridgewood, Carnelian Bay, Kings Beach, Eder, Norden, Soda Springs & The North Lake Tahoe Basin of California
Nickerson Roofing wants you to be prepared for this coming winter season, and help you avoid roof damage that the snow brings. We hope that this was an aid to you, and we wish you the best of luck this coming winter season. If you have any concerns about your roof’s condition we at Nickerson Roofing is here to help you. Contact us for all your roofing related needs!
