Follow Our Checklist to Winterize Your Roof This Year
Despite the fall weather, you’ve probably felt it already: an occasional colder bite to the air signaling that winter is just around the corner. There are a lot of preparations that must be made—both for yourself and your home—but preparing your roof for the winter should be at the top of your list. And in making seasonal preparations, it always helps to have a checklist you can follow to fully winterize your roof.
At Anchor Roofing, we’re here to tell you that prevention is the best way to ensure your roof avoids major problems during its lifespan. That includes seasonal maintenance tasks and taking extra steps to make sure your home is ready for winter—one of the harshest times for any roofing system.
Here are the key tasks you should complete to fully winterize your roof this year.
Clean Gutters and Downspouts 
Cleaning your gutters is an essential maintenance task year round. In fact, we recommend taking this step as part of your fall roof maintenance as well.
That said, double-checking that your gutters are clear at the end of fall is one of the most important items on your checklist to winterize your roof. Even if you cleaned them earlier in the season, fall weather usually creates a high volume of leaves and other debris that can fill your gutters several times over.
Make a final check and ensure your gutters and downspouts are cleared out once all the leaves have dropped for the season.
Check for Pests
Damaged or decaying roofing systems are a prime spot for pests to gather. As winter approaches, bugs and small animals will be looking for places to hunker down out of the cold.
Look for signs of animals or other pests making their homes in your roof, and take steps to remove them before winter arrives. Leaving them to their own devices can result in major damage or unwelcome guests if they make it all the way into your attic or home.
Trim Tree Branches
As leaves drop off, now is also a prime opportunity to assess trees near your home and trim back any branches that may pose a threat to your roof. Tree branches are a common cause of roof damage at any time of year. During storm season, they’re liable to be blown off and impact your home.
Winter is also a common time for branches to fall, however. Accumulating ice and snow adds a lot of weight to trees, straining weak branches and eventually causing them to fall. If you have trees near your home, carefully remove branches that hang over your roof to avoid problems during the winter.
Evaluate Your Attic 
Your attic should be one of the most important areas to assess on your checklist to winterize your roof. While it may not seem to matter much, issues in your attic can become especially major during the winter.
For example, poor ventilation can lead to major temperature differences between your roof and the outdoors. Poor attic ventilation can create a situation ripe for dangerous ice dams, cause moisture to accumulate, create mold, and much more. Make sure your attic is properly ventilated before winter weather sets in.
Schedule a Seasonal Inspection
Regular roof inspections are crucial to ensuring everything is in working order—and to identify potential problems you may not notice until it’s too late. The months leading up to winter are an ideal time to schedule a roof inspection, as there may still be time to replace your roof before freezing temperatures arrive and make roofing work difficult. A professional roof inspection will include many of the above items on your checklist, helping you fully winterize your roof.
Need a Roof Replacement Before Winter? Call Anchor Roofing!
As you move through your process to winterize your roof, make sure you have a trusted roofer you can call to provide a thorough inspection before this difficult season. Anchor Roofing is a reliable expert in all things Omaha roofing, and our team knows exactly what to look for when it comes to preparing your roof for winter.
If your roof is nearing the end of its lifespan, winterizing your roof may mean scheduling a roof replacement—before other areas of your home are damaged. Contact Anchor Roofing today to determine if your roof is ready for another winter.