While winter in Arizona may be mild compared to other states around the country, occasional rain, hail, and windstorms can often catch homeowners by surprise.
It’s essential to protect your home from both predictable and unpredictable weather conditions in Phoenix. One of the best ways to proactively guard your home against damage this winter is to ensure your roof is in top-notch shape before the cold weather arrives.
Our expert team at RENCO Roofing suggests following these easy steps to prepare your desert roof for the upcoming winter.
1. Clean Your Gutters
It’s normal for leaves, twigs, and other debris to accumulate in your gutters over time. However, it’s critical to clean your gutters one to two times a year to ensure they can perform their job correctly—especially during the winter.
To clean your gutters, set up a sturdy, extendible ladder and remove the debris with a small, plastic scoop. Before you begin, lay a tarp under your work area to prevent your lawn and landscaping from becoming cluttered. Once the gutters are clear, you can use a garden hose to flush the gutters and downspouts to verify the system is performing correctly.
Contact a roofing contractor immediately if you notice any faulty parts of your gutter system. Your gutters must drain correctly during the winter to allow overnight frost to escape from your roof after it melts. When melted ice cannot drain from your gutters, the pooling water may lead to roof leaks, and these leaks can cause severe moisture damage to your home.
2. Trim Your Trees
Often, the accumulation of debris in your gutters is caused by the landscaping in your yard. Before you clean your gutters, trim trees and other overgrown vegetation within proximity to your home. It’s also wise to remove long, heavy tree limbs that pose the risk of falling onto your roof during powerful windstorms.
3. Apply Roof Sealant
Winter weather in Arizona can drastically fluctuate during the day. One night, the temperature may be nearly freezing, and the following afternoon, the weather may be warm and sunny.
Unfortunately, the fluctuation in temperatures can have a severe impact on your roof. When the weather is cold, it causes your roof to contract, and when the weather is warm, it causes your roof to expand. These rapid contractions can cause damage to your roofing system, gutters, and other elements on your home’s exterior.
It’s crucial to keep your roof at a consistent temperature to prevent the changing weather from causing damage to your roofing system. One of the best ways to do this is to re-apply roof sealant around your vents, fascia, and soffit boards. Roof sealant also provides an extra line of defense against water damage.
4. Check Insulation and Ventilation
Another way to maintain your roof’s temperature while keeping your home warm and cozy is by installing extra insulation and proper ventilation in your attic. If the heat from your home is seeping out from your ceiling, it can cause the frost on your roof to melt and re-freeze, creating the potential for water damage and leaks.
Before winter arrives, ensure your attic has well-distributed, adequate insulation, and confirm that you have a ventilation system that allows the air in your home to circulate. These two factors will prevent heat from escaping your home and impacting your roof, and they will also keep your energy bills lower—a true win-win situation!
5. Watch for Storm Damage
In the winter, Arizona may experience occasional hail or windstorms resulting in severe roof damage.
Hailstorms can dent asphalt shingles and crack tile shingles, preventing your roof from adequately protecting your home.
Windstorms can cause shingles to become loose or missing entirely, result in shingle granule loss, or cause foreign objects, like tree branches, to land on and damage your roof.
After a powerful storm, call a roofing contractor to determine if roof repair or replacement is necessary to guard your home from further damage.
6. Paint Your Home
Although it doesn’t directly correlate with your roofing system, another great way to prepare for winter is to spruce up your home’s exterior with a fresh coat of paint.
Painting your home before winter comes with tons of benefits—it can protect your home from water damage, keep termites and other pests away, and even help to provide some extra insulation to seal the warm air into your home.
Plus, painting your home when it’s warm is always an added benefit. Since paint dries faster in warm weather, your painter will be able to complete the job more quickly, which will save you time and money on the project.
7. Get a Professional Roof Inspection
Perhaps the most critical task on your roofing to-do list is to hire a professional roofing contractor to inspect your roof before winter arrives.
Roofing contractors can spot your roof’s underlying issues and offer expert advice on preparing your roof for the upcoming winter. If you already know your roof is damaged, they can also help you determine whether repairs will suffice, or if complete replacement is necessary.
Prepare Your Roof for Winter with Arizona’s Top-Rated Roofing Contractor
Whether you need a total roof replacement or some help cleaning your gutters before winter arrives—we can help.
Since 2004, our team at RENCO Roofing has helped thousands of Arizona homeowners protect their homes with quality roofing products and top-notch service. We are committed to providing exceptional workmanship and care during your roofing project—no matter how big or small the task.
Learn more about our residential roofing services, and let us know how we can best serve you!
