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It’s that time of year. The leaves are falling and it’s getting cold. An often overlooked step for homeowners is to check the exterior when preparing for the winter months. Here are some Do’s and Donts for winterizing your home that can save you a lot of money.
DO
- After the leaves finish falling off the trees, remove all debris from your gutters or the top of your gutter guards to prevent ice damming. Ice damming is a build-up of ice on the eaves of a roof slope. The heat from your home’s interior will melt snow that will freeze and become ice. When melting begins, this will cause a backup of water that can leak through your roof and cause damage not only to your roof, but to the interior of your home as well.
- Look for any pooling water in your gutters. Ice is heavier than water and can pull the gutters off of the house.
- Remove twigs and leaves from valleys and skylights so they do not cause an ice dam.
- Inspect your rubber pipe jacks. They are made of rubber and can contract if they are over 5 years old, which can lead to roof leaks.
DON’T
- Don’t cover up your attic ventilation or turbines in the winter. The humidity needs to escape so it does not become frost.
- Don’t walk on your roof to install holiday lights. Use a ladder and attach to your metal gutters. Twisting your feet on the cold shingles will not allow the mat to absorb the X and will cause premature granule loss in the spring.
- Don’t allow any roofing or siding work to be done on your home unless it is over 40 degrees. Make sure you hire a contractor that follows the manufacturers specifications on installation so they won’t void your material warranty.
