Common Winter Roof Emergencies
The winter is a challenging time for all people and no matter how you think your roof is strong, you might still find yourself requiring the emergency roofing services. Winter comes along with strong winds and rains and which makes the roof prone to problems. The winter season also comes with hailstorms which further makes it even tougher on the roofs. But before we get to what you should do if you are caught up in an emergency during the winter, it is important we look at some of the problems that comes occurs normally during this cold season.
Ice Dams
Well, this is the most common problem that comes along with winter weather and it is important that you understand that ice dams can affect even other components of your building. The ice dams comes as a result of the ice that accumulates on top of the roof and then melts to form water. The ice dams encourages the growth of mold on the roof and on the walls of your building and it might even be more costly than it looks like. The ice dams do not only affect the roof of your roof, it also affect the windows, the attic, roof cavity, and encourages the wood destroying insects to your house among other problems.
Accumulating Snow
The snow on the roof might look cool to some people but the effect it has on it cannot be underestimated. The weight of the snow can affect your roof drastically especially if it is old and has been functioning for more than 20 years. The heavy snow will cause breakage of the shingles which plays a vital role in ensuring that your roof stays dry and this leads to your roof becoming wet which in turn leads to rotting leading to roof leakages to your roof. And even worse, the accumulated roof can even lead to the fall of the entire roof.
Injuries
Some people gets serious injuries as they are trying to get rid of the ice and snow from the roof without following the right procedure to do that. As a matter of fact, there some people who have been reported dead as they were trying to fix one problem or on another on their roofs.
And even if one does not suffer the primary problems, he or she can end up doing more harm to the roof than good. A lot of people have ended up damaging the gutters and shingles as they are trying to fix the problem. This leads to roof leaks and you might be required to replace the entire roof because of a problem you created. That’s why it is important to ask for help from a professional if you have any problem with your roof more especially during the winter.
Shingle Damage
Maybe you could have started with this one. There is nothing that is more common than damaged shingles during the winter. The winter weather is known for causing the shingles to break off or to blow away which leads to exposure of the layers beneath them. The winter weather is also capable of ruining the flashing and tearing off the gutters.
Attic Condensation
Condensation occurs after the warm air from inside your house gets in contact with the cold air that comes along with winter. And if your house is not properly insulated then the cold wind from outside is going to find its way inside your building.
Icicles
The icicles can actually be a problem to the people passing underneath it. The icicles are also kind of indication of melting snow, refreezing ice and ice dams on your roof top.
Punctures
The strong winds that comes along with the winter season is capable of causing the surrounding trees to fall branches on the roof and if they hit hard enough, it can lead to holes on the roof hence leading to roof leakages.
How to Handle Roof Emergencies in the Winter
With freezing temperatures out there, it is very important that you ensure your family is really safe by following the following tips.
Safety – Just in case your roof gets damaged as a result of the harsh weather conditions, it is very important that you move your family out of the harm’s way. And no matter how good you think you are, it is crucial you don’t try to assess the problem yourself because as we have seen, people have suffered serious injuries trying to assess or fix problems. Just move your family out of the harm’s way and then contact a professional to help you out assess the problem and advise you on how it can be fixed.
Restrict Power – During a time like this, it is recommended that you turn off the electricity supply to the areas that is affected by the winter harsh weather condition in order to prevent other serious problems like fires that comes as a result of the emergencies. And while you are inspecting the affected portion of your house, it is very important that you use safety gears like gloves and googles.
Call a Professional – This is a very crucial step, it is almost impossible to do the repairs of the roof all by yourself and even if you think you are really good, you can still make some errors that are going to cost you in the future. You need to contact a specialist who have been fixing roof for quite some time, one with the expertise required and most importantly one with experience of fixing roofs during the cold seasons. Good thing is you just found the one. We have experience in winter roofing and we can assure you high quality services at a very reasonable fee.
In Awe Roofing Limited is an Award-Winning, family owned and operated Vancouver Roofing Contractor with over 17 years of roofing experience. We serve the entire Lower Mainland area, from Whistler to Chilliwack, employing a team of professional staff members. Our team has won numerous awards including Best of Homestars for the last five years, and Three Best Rated six years in a row. Learn more
