How to Check your Roof for Winter Damage
After a wet and windy winter, checking your roof for damage is an excellent idea. Water can often find ways to get into your house over the winter and discovering any leaks or other issues now, will help you to avoid any further damage. Plus, as the sun will be coming out for spring soon (fingers and toes crossed!) this is also a good time to check for damp before it evaporates and you don’t realise there is a problem until autumn.
Check for Signs Indoors
The first place to start looking for any roof damage should be indoors. Often when a roof is damaged, you will notice it fairly quickly as you may get damp patches on your walls or ceilings, especially after rain. More subtle signs of water and leaks are slight discolouration to your walls or, when you feel them, they are slightly damp to touch. These signs often precede the appearance of mould or actual puddles.
You should also go up into your loft to check for any signs of damp or damage there. Don’t worry if your loft is much colder than the rest of your house - this is not usually a sign of damage, just a signal that your insulation is working well. Look for cracks of light showing through, obvious signs of water entry or other signs of potential problems.
Survey Your Roof From Outside
Safety is paramount when checking a roof so before you start, make sure that you know exactly what you are doing and have all the right safety equipment. Start by looking at your roof from ground level. You should be able to see if there are any missing tiles or suspect areas quite easily from down here.
Using a strong, stable ladder, climb up to the roof to have a look at the tiles. Wear a pair of gloves to give you more grip.If possible, always work with a partner who can hold the ladder steady at the bottom. If you can avoid it, try not to step onto the roof itself; just look from your ladder.
Have a look at your tiles to see whether any have formed cracks or have shifted in position, or worse still are missing completely!
While you are up there, take time to look in your gutters as well. Over the winter months plenty of muck and fallen leaves will accumulate here and may cause an overflow that could be the source of a damp problem inside. These areas may also be affected by snow and ice, which could cause the plastic to buckle or loosen the connection to the roof.
Hire an Expert
A better alternative to all of this however is the hire an expert to come check it out for you and to make any repairs required. This is the most efficient and safest way to make sure that your roof has survived the winter intact!
The professional staff at Eurotech Roofing will be more than happy to answer your queries! Give us a ring on 0800 2949422 or visit us at www.eurotechroofing.co.uk for a brief overview of our services.
