Winter-Prep Roofing Tips
Chicago’s relentless cold weather season will be here before you know it. As you mentally prepare for those frigged drives to work, and shoveling your car out of mounds of snow, your roof might not be one of the first things on your mind. Still, it’s arguably the most important structure of your home, and it can seriously be effected by harsh winter conditions. Don’t fret though, here’s a quick crash course on how to keep your roof safe in the months ahead.
Condensation
problem: Basically, condensation happens when moist warm air comes into contact with a cold surface. With regard to winter weather and roofing, it’s when your home’s warm indoor air hits the under side of the cold roof deck.
solution: In order to trap the warm air, and not allow it to get to the bottom the roof deck, installing a vapor re-tarder at ceiling level is a great option. You may need to hire a roofing contractor to address ventilation issues.
If you have “cathedral ceilings,” there is a chance that you will have to have your existing insulation replaced with insulation specifically designed with cathedral ceilings in mind. If condensation is a major issue, you might need to have baffles installed in order to allow for proper venting.
Ice Dams
problem: Ice dams are probably the most frequent winter ailment for a roof. Mounds of ice tend to form at the lower edges of a roof, and drifts of snow pile up on the middle portion of the roof. Dammed water begins to accumulate between the ice mound and the snow drift, and when the water has no place to go, gravity causes it to leak into the smallest crevices in your roof, and into your home.
solution: Even though it isn’t practical to get up on your roof everyday and chip off all of the ice, it wouldn’t hurt to do this occasionally.
Besides the obvious, you might want to try using calcium chloride to melt the ice. Pour the solution into an old sock and place it over the dam area.
You can also try purchasing a high quality “heating tape.” The tape should be thermostatically controlled and made from heavy gage wire.
Roofing In Cold Weather
The question is often asked: “so can you do work to a roof when it’s really cold outside?” If you’re up to the task, you definitely can, but certain materials and tools can only be installed and used under certain temperature limits. As a rule of thumb, most manufactures say that the temperature has to be at least 30 degrees for their materials to install properly. It is possible to work on a roof when temperatures are below this, but that ought to be left to a roofing contractor. Another important tip is that no roofing guns should be used in temperatures under 32 degrees.
If you have any questions about cold weather roofing, or you have an roofing emergency this winter, don’t hesitate to contact Champion Roofing. We’re Chicago roofing contractors with more than 27 years of winter experience!
