Beware of Home Roof Repairs in Winter

1/4/2021

If you’re thinking about repairing your roof yourself this winter, we have one word of advice: don’t do it. Instead, stay inside, pour yourself a cup of hot chocolate, and call a roofing professional.

Roof repair can be dangerous any time of the year, and when the temperatures drop, the risk for injury rises, so it’s best to leave it to the pros.

From the potential to slip on ice or frozen leaves to the chance of losing your balance in a strong gust of wind, there are a number of reasons why you should always hire a professional roofing company if your roof needs to be repaired during the winter. Take a look at our top five below.

Ice dams

You know it’s cold outside when water freezes in the gutters and forms icicles. Sure, icicles look pretty, but they can also be pretty dangerous should they break and fall while someone is standing under them. Additionally, ice dams can lead to lose shingles. They can also destroy gutters and cause leaks in the house. And, if you try to repair your roof and slip on an ice dam, it can lead to an injury as well.  

Heavy winds

Winter can be a very windy time of the year, which means even more precautions need to be taken when repairing a rood during the colder months. In fact, wind gusts tend to be stronger on roofs because there are no buildings to slow the wind down.

This is another reason why it’s important to hire a professional roofing company to repair your roof in the winter. Should you reach the roof only to find that the wind is too strong, you could lose your balance and fall.

Fallen limbs and dead leaves

Trees pose potential problems when it comes to roof repairs, and especially in the winter. For starters, if tree limbs fall on you while you’re working on the roof, it could cause a head injury. And if there are frozen limbs on the roof, you could slip and fall.

And then there is the issue of dead leaves. Wet or - even worse - frozen leaves can be slippery and cause you to fall once you’re on the roof.

Slipping and physical danger on roofs

There are a number of reasons why you could slip when trying to repair your roof during the wintertime. As we already mentioned, you could slip on tree limbs, leaves, or on an ice dam. But you could also take a tumble if you step onto black ice, which often forms on roofs after the temps dip below freezing.  

The surface of shingles is often very slippery when it’s wet or frozen, and without anything to grip should you fall after stepping on a frozen shingle, you could seriously injure yourself.

Frozen ladders and tools

If you step on to a frozen ladder when trying to repair your roof, you could be at risk of serious injury if the steps of the ladder have frozen. In addition, ice on the ground can create a surface that’s too slippery for a ladder to stabilize, causing it to fall when you step on it.

Making roof repairs in cold temperatures can also cause tools to freeze, which could render them useless for the job you need them to do. And handling tools in winter can lead to frostbite on your hands, especially if you aren’t wearing proper gloves.

Need your roof repaired or serviced this winter? Don’t do-it-yourself. Instead, stay safe and contact a CertainTeed roofing professional.