Potential Winter Damage to Your Home
Tips on Winterizing your Connecticut Home
J.C. Tonnotti offers these reminders to make sure you prepare your home for Connecticut winter weather and any potential blizzards.
Pipes Freezing: It is important to remember to maintain your home temperature, especially during severe weather. If you are leaving for a vacation or short holiday, be sure to keep your heat on. If your heat is off and your pipes freeze they could burst and cause a lot of damage.
Excessive Amounts of Snow on your Roof: If you have snow on your roof, call a professional to remove it. This roofing tip is arguably the most important tip for the winter season, for your safety and your sanity. If your home has a flat roof then you may notice a heavy build-up of snow and ice. Property owners should be attentive to the excessive snow accumulations, especially if the snow exceeds totals of more than a few inches.
It is dangerous to remove the snow from your roof for many reasons, so please call a professional if you are concerned about the integrity of your roof. If you need to remove the snow immediately, we recommend using a roof rake. This handy tool helps easily and safely remove snow off the roof of your home. We recommend roof snow removal after every big storm, depending on the age, condition and type of roof.
Inspect your Gutters: Make sure your gutters are not pulling away from the structure of your home during a storm. The weight of the snow may bend or move the gutters on your home, causing an obstructed
flow of run-off water from the roof. Try to keep the gutters clear and without debris during a big
storm, to avoid issues later.
Monitor the Temperature in your Attic: Try to keep the temperature in your attic close to the outside temperature. With this, you will also want to be sure that the attic is properly ventilated. Ice dams can form when snow accumulates on a roof, if a home is not properly insulated. Melted water, caused by insufficient
insulation, flows down the roof under the snow and then refreezes on the overhang. If you see icicles hanging off your roof, then your home may have an ice dam. The ice build-up should be removed by a professional in a timely fashion, to avoid more damage to the roof.
If you do happen to find any damage to your roof, you should contact a roofing contractor to assess the damage as soon as possible. By doing this, you can have to problem repaired or replaced before any other issues arise.
If you happen to notice any issues during the winter months, you should never assume that you
should wait until the spring to have anything looked at or repaired. Most roofing contractors are
still able to do home assessments during the winter season. If you can’t get a contractor out
right away to look at your roof, put a tarp over the damaged area to prevent further damage!
