How Winter Heating Affects Your Roof: Everything You Need To Know
Winter is typically regarded as a challenging season for roofs and structures. The weight of the snow might have an impact on your home’s construction. This is because the melting and freezing can lead to leaks. The biggest issue with how winter heating impacts your roof is ice damming. Due to the heavy snowfall that accumulates and rests on homes and buildings in the northern regions, the formation of ice dams is a fairly prevalent problem.
How Does The Process Of “Ice Damming” Work?
Heating your home in the winter will inevitably lead to ice damming. We put on the heat to maintain a constant interior temperature as the outside temperature declines. When a lot of snow falls, the top layer forms an insolation while the bottom layer melts due to the inside warmth of the house. Since the gutters are cooler than the margins of the roof, where the melted snow has moved to become water, it freezes there once more. So what are ice dams? It is an ice that has formed at the roof’s edge. As the ice dam develops, the water that is still melting from the snow above will begin to travel back and under the tabs and edges of the shingle roof. Most people reach out to their local Arlington Heights roofing company thinking it’s a problem with their roof. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
Although the likelihood of a roof leak does not necessarily increase if ice damming is present, it is more likely as it persists. Also keep in mind that as the ice thickens, so does its weight, potentially damaging your entire structure. You may ultimately notice evidence of the melting ice in your ceilings if it becomes stuck there and sinks into the roof decking.
It is crucial to maintain good roof ventilation within your attic. This is because the problem may also cause moisture to accumulate in your attic spaces. It’s also crucial to remember that ice damming can occur on both metal and shingle roofing. Even though it seems unlikely on metal roofing, it happens on roofs without a severe slope.
How To Winterize Your Roof
Add Insulation To Your Attic
Ensure that there is proper insulation in your attic. The issue of melting the underlayer of ice that causes the ice dams can be resolved if your attic is properly insulated, which can help prevent the interior temperature of your home from adversely affecting the underside of your roof.
Clear Your Gutters
Even while ice dams aren’t directly related to gutters, keeping them clean will assist to minimize any extra water buildup around the margins of your roof. As there is nothing below them to maintain a greater temperature, the margins will be the coolest, therefore keeping the gutters clean can only be beneficial.
Have A Look at Heat Cables
Consider installing heat cables along the perimeter of your roof if ice damming is a typical side effect of how winter heating affects your roof. These wires will provide consistent heat where ice dams typically form to prevent water ponding and ice damage to your roof’s shingles and decking.
Additional Winter Roofing Considerations Include:
In the cold, old tars and adhesives can become brittle and crack, allowing leaks to enter. Have a professional inspect the edges of your shingles, vents, and chimneys for deteriorating putties. Especially the bindings surrounding older chimneys are susceptible to cracking and deterioration, which can lead to a leak that travels into the middle of your house.
Examine your gutters and fix any that are broken or pulling away from the house by replacing or refastening them.
Ensure that you attach all of your downspouts to your gutters and have enough room to drain winter water without freezing and clogging the spout.