Taking care of the roof is vital to protect it from the harsh weather. The winter snow is as harmful to your roof as the spring showers and winds. Spring ushers in the rain and strong winds, which can spell havoc for the roof. Winter damage, followed by spring damage is a deadly combination for your roofs.

Start preparing your roof while there is still time to safeguard the house from moisture and weather damage. A few precautions at the right time can save your property. If you fail to do these preparations before the showers, do not be surprised if you need to get the roof repaired soon. 

Here we will suggest 6 ways to prepare the roof before spring to avoid the damage and the expensive repairs that follow. Be assured about your roof if you have taken these precautions against the sun, rain, and wind. 

Roof Inspection

It is important to perform a thorough roof inspection after the winter months. Winter snow is harsh on the roofs, and before the spring storms and rains set in, a thorough inspection is crucial. Look for damp spots, swelling, and blistering paints on the ceiling. These are signs of water damage that are usually visible on the walls and generally the ceilings. The damp spots can also appear near the fireplace. Water damage can aggravate and take a worse turn if left untreated before the rains. 

Check the attic and the loft to see if sunlight is coming in through a cracked or broken shingle. It is best to do this inspection on a sunny day. On a rainy day, the water damage will be evident. Leaving such broken or defective shingles can be a pretty bad idea before the spring months. 

Inspect the roof properly and double-check the shingles to find out areas that are chipped or broken. Look near the chimney to find whether the flashing is damaged. Do the same for your skylights to find signs of cracking or peeling away. 

Lastly, check whether algae and moss infest your roof. If they are, you may need to remove them before the spring showers make them flourish. 

If you are not competent enough to inspect yourself, the best idea is to get professionals to inspect the roof thoroughly and check for signs of damage, to repair them before they cause further problems. A regular inspection after the winter helps to prolong the life of the roof. An expert will go up to the roof to inspect every corner.  

Clean The Moss

It would be worse to leave the moss on the roof after winter. The moisture from snow can often result in black algae and moss on the roof. Moss holds water, which results in damp, wet spots and water seepage. The spring showers can further increase the moss cover if you do not remove them immediately.

Simple brushing and sweeping may not be helpful always. You may have to use potassium salts to kill the moss if it has spread over a large area and settled. Take care not to use toxic substances to kill the algae and moss since it can further damage the roofing materials. 

Trim Branches

Spring is a beautiful month, but the showers are not so beautiful for your roof. The thunderstorms can be quite destructive and leave the roof impaired. 

There may be many flowering trees around your house, with their branches spreading in all directions. It looks splendid when they have bloomed, but the weak branches are a threat to the roof. 

The lightning, storm, and rain can break the overhanging branches, which then come crashing down. These branches are already weakened by the harsh winter and can easily break off under the effect of strong winds. 

Trim the overhanging branches so that they do not fall on the roof. The impact can dislocate the flashing or chip off the shingles, leaving the roof defective and vulnerable to damage. 

Clean The Debris

Spring brings along a lot of storms and showers, which leaves the roofs unclean. Moreover, the trees nearby shed their leaves, twigs, flowers, and fruits on the roof from the overhanging branches. The recent autumn just before the winter did its job of leaving the roof full of dead leaves.  When you leave the roof unclean for long, they clog the openings of the gutters, preventing the smooth flow of water.

Pick up the debris and objects lying on the roof or sweep them off with a brush. It is also necessary to remove bird nests before they lay eggs. The twigs used in these nests can result in drainage clogging.

Unclog The Gutters

At the same time, it is also necessary to unclog the gutters and the mouth of the drainage. When the snow melts in spring, it needs a proper passage to clean. Otherwise, the standing water can easily cause damage to the roof. Blistering, peeling paint and water spots may become common during spring if there is standing water on the roof due to clogged gutters.

Ensure that the gutters and drains are free from twigs, leaves, and other things that can block the water flow.

The best strategy is to inspect the gutters once during the fall season and another time before spring. You must be sure both the times that the leaves are not clogging the drains. Jet wash the gutter to leave it clean, or use a gutter brush to manually remove the stuck debris. This will help to unclog the gutter and push out the water.

If your house stands in an area with a number of trees, this may be a significant problem and result in huge clogs. The fall season may look beautiful, but they can be a nuisance for the drains. The spring showers further worsen the problem if you are not prudent enough to check and remove them.

Boost The Protection

To protect the roof from strong winds and showers in spring, you need to boost the protection. Windy zones and those affected by frequent storms should have double protection to save the vulnerable roofs. 

Ask your roofing company to provide ample bracing to safeguard the roof from strong winds. Storms and hurricanes can pull off the material from a roof, expose the surface, and leave it broken. 

Roofers must use bracers and rafters to increase the protection of the roof. It makes it more stable and strong to prevent damage. 

 Final Thoughts

Your first concern about your roof should be to safeguard it to prolong its life. Constructing a roof is a major investment. Repairing it soon is an avoidable expense when people understand the importance of inspection and maintenance.

You must know the tactics to preserve its life and save it from the harsh sun, rain, and winds. In short, weather can ruin your investment and leave you with another costly repair or replacement.

Since the protection and precautions are not as simple as domestic chores, professional help from a reputed roofing company is what you need. Professional experts can help you keep the roof safe from spring storms by filling in the damages before they turn too bad to handle.