Tips to Keep Your Roof Protected Through the Indiana Winter

STATEWIDE — It’s important to check the status of your roof this holiday season in Indiana.

There’s always the chance of snow and ice in the Hoosier state during the winter months. That can easily lead to a damaged roof, especially if it hasn’t been looked at by a specialist.

Luke Speckman, owner of Roof Scientist, said a lot of companies will give free inspections to inform homeowners of the state of their roof.

“The winter season is long in Indiana and you’re going to have snow build up on your roof and ice build up, so the main thing we push homeowners to do is get your roof inspected,” Speckman suggested.

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The Indianapolis area has seen a few weeks of snow and ice already in December. Speckman said there’s still a window that homeowners have to get a technician come out and take a closer look at a roof to determine what year and age the roof is at.

“If your roof is already damaged going into the winter, typically it’s going to get worse with all that snow and ice sitting up there,” Speckman said.

One of the main roof concerns this time of year is ice damming. It typically happens when homes aren’t properly insulated or ventilated. Heat builds up inside the roof and melts the snow unevenly, causing it to drip down the edge of the roof and into gutters or off the side of the house.

“That can get underneath the shingles, causing them to take water damage and clog the gutter systems,” Speckman added.

Hanging up lights and other decorations the wrong way can lead to structural damage too. Speckman suggests using a ladder and not walking on the shingles to place lights or decorations on the house.

Speckman also offers some tips for inspecting your roof post-holidays in order to catch and fix hidden damage early. Keeping your gutters clear and removing snow goes a long way, along with proper insulation and ventilation.

“Homeowners are more surprised because they don’t know about the problems until they’re bad enough to be seen from the inside of the house,” Speckman said.