Weather is an extremely strong force of nature, every year there are thousands of weather phenomenon that occur throughout the year that cause damage in many ways. Businesses, people’s houses and things they own get destroyed due to these storms. You as a homeowner don’t want to be the person whose house and belongings are affected by the weather. Prepare yourself ahead for unpredictable weather. Start by weatherproofing your roof as that is the first thing that comes in contact with the harshness of weather and is most likely to be affected. Homeowners know that top quality roofing is what keeps your home dry and prevents any serious damage from weather, but even then quality roofing can only go so far to fight off the elements that it is put through on a daily basis. Without maintenance, even the good quality roofing can succumb to the forces of nature as easily as the low-quality stuff that most of us try to avoid. If your roof is a low quality you might want to think about replacing the entire roof and have a complete roof replacement done. On the other hand, if you already have a top-notch, durable and long-lasting roof and want to further weatherproof your home, we have some ideas that will help.
Deicing Cables
Serious buildups of ice are called ice dams, they can often overwhelm gutters and clog up your roof systems so that it doesn’t function properly. If ice dams is a problem you suffer from frequently then deicing cables is the perfect solution to your problem and will protect your roof. The cables are fairly easy to install and they work to break up the ice before it can build up too much. Deicing cables basically mean heating cables that run on electricity to warm up. When plugged in, it heats up to the ideal temperature to melt the ice. Installing deicing cables isn’t all too difficult—you can do them yourself as long as you are confident doing some hefty DIY projects and comfortable climbing up safely on the roof. The cables are mounted underneath existing shingles to keep them from causing a leak. Mount the cables in a series of locations over the section that builds up with most ice. Make sure that the cables dip down the gutter a bit and run it down through the downspout as well to help warm it a bit and to get the water to flow downwards and out the gutter. On the other side run the cable down to an exterior plus and plug it in when you need power and unplug when not in use.
Peel and Stick Underlayment
Most roofing companies use tar paper for their roof underlayment installation. It is cheap and is easy to put on. Cheap and easy doesn’t mean it’s the right option for your home. If you are considering having your roof replaced and have a new one installed, consider using the peel and stick underlayment. The installation for this product is extremely easy as it doesn’t require any nails or such. It works with a pre-applied adhesive that sticks when adhered. Peel and stick are also far more flexible than tar paper making it more resistant and durable over time. The best scenario would be to use this underlayment throughout your roof, but just putting it around the edges where the roof takes the most damage from ice buildup and wind would be ideal too. It sure is more expensive than using tar paper, but for the added protection and durability it is worth the added expense.
Upgrade Attic Insulation
Usually, attic insulation isn’t a big concern when it comes to weatherproofing your roof, but if you live in the northern areas and in the colder climate it does make a difference. Let’s say that your roof is covered in snow, and if too much hot air escapes through your roof the snow will melt and form ice. Ice forming on your roof is a problem that everyone should be concerned about as ice damages your roof. To avoid this issue, installing quality insulation in the attic will keep the heat inside reducing the chances of any ice forming on the roof and on top of that you would be reducing your heat bill as the insulation will keep the heat trapped in the house and letting it not escape. Less heat escaping would lead to using less heat, reducing your bills and saving you some money.
Install Gutter Guards
The gutters play a very important part when weatherproofing, they provide a way and act like a highway for all the water to go downspout and away from your home. Gutters need to be checked every season to make sure there is no debris clogging up the gutters. If there is that can create a problem. You want to avoid any of those problems by maintaining the gutters and adding extra safety measures to protect yourself from any mishaps happening in the future. If your house is surrounded by many trees and you are worried about leaves clogging up the way consider getting gutter guards. These grates or cages are installed over top of your gutters to keep leaves and other large debris from collecting, and the water keeps flowing freely underneath the guards. With gutter guards, most of the debris will fall on top of the guards and eventually blow off with the wind, anything remaining can be taken care of easily by a broom. They are also extremely easy to install and you can do that yourself.
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