A Heavy Freeze-Thaw Cycle Can Reveal Roof Damage. Schedule an Inspection!
This year, we’ve experienced a fairly harsh winter already, with bitter cold temperatures sweeping across the Great Plains and more winter weather sure to come. Winter is always a difficult time for your roof—but major temperature swings like we’ve experienced can introduce a heavy freeze-thaw cycle that can truly test its limits.
At Anchor Roofing, we always recommend having your roof inspected after winter to ensure freezing temperatures and snowfall hasn’t created new issues ahead of spring and summer storms. Even for homeowners who had their roofs inspected last fall, a heavy freeze-thaw cycle can reveal and worsen previously hidden damage, leaving your roof vulnerable. Here’s why you should make sure to schedule your inspection promptly.
How a Heavy Freeze-Thaw Cycle Impacts Your Roof
As many folks will know, as temperatures fluctuate various materials will expand and contract. With greater fluctuations, this expansion and contraction becomes more prominent—and large shifts in temperature can even cause damage to your home.
Winter is a particularly common time for temperature swings that may stress your roof. For example, any moisture present on your home will freeze as temperatures dip, expanding and potentially creating or widening cracks.
Here in Omaha, we saw temperatures rapidly plummet from around freezing to well below zero and back again—with some of these fluctuations occurring over the course of a single day. That rapid and heavy freeze-thaw cycle stresses your roof immensely, exacerbating even minor roofing issues.
What Should I Do About Damage from Fluctuating Temperatures?
This cycle of freezing and thawing may make damage evident to the naked eye. If this is the case, you should schedule a roof repair right away.
However, it’s more likely that any damage revealed by fluctuating temperatures will remain under the radar. A professional roof inspection is key to evaluating your roof and ensuring it’s ready for the rains and storms that will arrive after winter ends.
Who Should Schedule an Inspection?
While homeowners throughout Omaha should be scheduling regular roof inspections already, those who live in storm-hit areas should make this post-winter inspection a particular priority. Storm damage may not have been evident when you had your roof inspected last year, but as mentioned, the heavy freeze-thaw cycle we’ve experienced can worsen damage and make it much more severe.
If you never had your roof inspected following one of last year’s big storms, scheduling an inspection now should be even more of a priority. Any storm damage you may have received last year will have been made worse over the winter—but there’s still plenty of time to make repairs before spring.
Don’t Delay Your Roof Inspection
Though winter is a relatively slow time for roofing work, it doesn’t hurt to book your post-winter inspection well in advance. Booking new ensures that you’ll have a spot in our calendar before the busy season sets in and our calendar fills up.
What’s more, it’s important not to delay needed roofing work. The sooner you can complete an inspection the better, as you’ll be able to complete any necessary repairs well before the first storm of the season arrives.
Make Sure Your Home Is Well Protected
At Anchor Roofing, we’re the go-to local roofer for homeowners throughout Omaha. Our roofing knowledge extends to all seasons—and while we may not be experiencing thunderstorms right now, it’s important to be aware of the threats to your roof that exist throughout the winter.
With such a heavy freeze-thaw cycle, roofs throughout our area are being stretched (and contracted) to their limits. It’s crucial to ensure your roof remains in good shape as the winter season comes to a close. Book your inspection today!