Common Problems Roofs Experience in the Winter

Your roof is at the mercy of nature all year round, and it’s not getting any respite in the winter. The elements tend to be harsher from December to March. You need to be mindful of certain roof issues if your property is to remain in one piece throughout this season.

Chase Roofing explains the biggest reasons roof repair projects are common come wintertime:

Condensation

As your property’s heating load increases, your indoor air becomes warmer. Excessive humidity can wreak havoc on your roof, especially when it’s poorly ventilated. The right combination of intake and exhaust vents allows proper air circulation, allowing your property to breathe out moisture-ridden air more easily. When it can’t get out, the water vapor will turn into liquid upon touching colder surfaces like roof boards. Condensation is bad news to most construction elements, including wood sheathing and fiberglass insulation.

Adequate attic ventilation helps keep your property cool in the summer, but it’s useful in ensuring that your indoor air is dry during winter months. Experienced residential and commercial roofing specialists, including Chase Roofing, agree that there’s a math to determine the right amount of ventilation for your attic.

Generally, the ratio should be one square foot of ventilation for every 300 square feet of ceiling space. But then again, the very units used to admit drafts and expel moist air are important to effectively prevent condensation.

Water Intrusion 

Spring and summer might be our wettest seasons, but winter can also see lots of precipitation–enough to cause significant leakage through faulty flashings. Wind-driven rain can force the water through rotten fascia boards and soffits too.

Ice Damming

Piles of snow are a fact of life, but not ice dams. They’re a hazardous consequence of poor attic ventilation. They form when roof planes are much warmer than the eaves, causing the snow to melt only to refreeze upon reaching the edges.

Ice damming is detrimental to the health of your roofing system on many levels. It causes the liquid water underneath the ice to flow back up, and seep into tiny gaps. The collective weight of ridges of ice is a pain to bear even for a properly installed roof.

Let Chase Roofing make sure that your roof is in good shape to avert major, winter-related problems during the worst possible time. Call us at (757) 872-0700 now to schedule your inspection in Hampton, VA, and get a free estimate if repairs are necessary.