​As a homeowner there are certain preparations you make when winter is coming to ensure that your roof isn’t damaged by the harsh weather. Winter is harsh on pretty much everything, and your roof is no exception. If you don’t pay proper attention or give adequate care to your roof you might find that you have some big problems when the ice melts. Preparing your roof for winter can be a large chore and if you aren’t able to complete it yourself Roofers Richmond Hill is more than happy to help you prepare your roof for the coming season. Here are three common problems you might face during the winter months.

Condensation
The inside of your home is warm but with the outside air is cold during the winter months, so when those two environments meet you are likely to get condensation build up. In a properly ventilated and insulated area – like an attic – this usually isn’t a problem however in some older homes that issue wasn’t really thought of so the attic may not have ever been insulated. The best thing you can do to avoid this is ensure your attic – or top floor of your house – has the proper ventilation and all insulation is up to code.

Ice Dams
These are, unfortunately, fairly common in climates that see a drastic change in temperature from season to season. These come from ice accumulating under the shingles; snow melts on the upper shingles on the roof and the water trickles down, but then freezes and builds up among the lower parts of the roof. As the water backs up it will freeze into a dam under the shingles. Unfortunately there isn’t a way to completely avoid these from happening, and when the weather warms in the spring you might come across some serious water leaking issues. Proper insulation and ventilation can help to effectively defend your home against ice dams, though.

Icicles
Like ice dams, icicles comes from sunny winter days with temperatures below zero. These often come as a result of clogged downspouts, but they can present a much larger threat to the people who live in your home, pets or other animals. In addition to that, their weight can often cause a huge issue with your roof and even causing some tearing before they start to melt. When the warmer weather comes it’s important to make sure your gutters and eaves trough are cleaned out.

Whether you check for these issues yourself or you hire a roofing company in Markham to do it, it’s really important that you make sure they aren’t happening over the winter or you could find yourself with some serious issues come spring.