{"id":666,"date":"2017-06-05T08:00:21","date_gmt":"2017-06-05T13:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/?p=666"},"modified":"2020-04-27T07:57:25","modified_gmt":"2020-04-27T12:57:25","slug":"how-to-safeguard-your-roof-from-hazardous-weather","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/2017\/06\/05\/how-to-safeguard-your-roof-from-hazardous-weather\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Safeguard Your Roof From Hazardous Weather"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Nothing puts you on edge like a big storm. Whether it\u2019s pounding rain and crashing thunder or a blizzard that knocks out the power for days, nasty weather can have you questioning your family\u2019s fundamental security\u2014and the steadfastness of the home that keeps you safe.<br \/>\nIn fact, a really bad squall challenges all the things you usually take for granted: you have visions of your home being swept away, Wizard-of-Oz-style, on a gust of wind, with all your possessions\u2014not to mention a major investment\u2014airborne in one fell swoop.<br \/>\nOf course, it\u2019s probably not going to happen like that. Most storm damage is a bit less dramatic, though no less anxiety-provoking. Leaks, ice dams, and fallen tree branches all present hazards that can make you and your family more susceptible to bad weather\u2014and cost thousands of dollars to repair. Not all storm damage is avoidable, of course, but you can shore up a lot of vulnerabilities just by keeping a close watch over your roof maintenance.<br \/>\n<strong>Give Your Gutters a Good Flush<\/strong><br \/>\nYour home\u2019s gutters actually serve a purpose, and believe it or not, that function is not just to add to your home maintenance checklist. Your drainage system carries water and debris away from your roof and back onto the ground, where it belongs. But when your gutters are clogged, water backs up onto your roof and siding. This speeds up leaks and puts you at risk of more subtle problems, such as mold and roof rot. To keep your home in the clear, make sure to get up on the ladder at least twice a year\u2014once in the fall, and once in the spring.<br \/>\n<strong>Put the Damper on Ice Dams<\/strong><br \/>\nIcicles may look quaint hanging from the eaves of a gingerbread home, but in real life, they\u2019re dangerous predictors of trouble to come. Icicles are usually a sign that your home has an ice dam\u2014a buildup of ice layers from snow melting and refreezing when it hits the colder outer edges of your roof. Why\u2019s that so bad? Ice is a lot heavier than snow\u2014a one-inch layer of ice weighs about five pounds per square foot. Multiply that 20 or 30 times and you\u2019ve got a real problem on your hands. Ice dams often block drainage systems and prevent runoff that could help lighten the load. And since roofs aren\u2019t made to withstand standing water and ice, the dams can cause them to buckle, degrade, and leak over time. Ice formations are usually a sign that you have inadequate insulation or poor ventilation in your home. A roofing inspector can spot both problems\u2014and solving these issues means you\u2019ll use less energy to heat your home, too! Win-win!<br \/>\n<strong>Don\u2019t Take Your Time Fixing Missing Shingles<\/strong><br \/>\nI don\u2019t need to tell you that missing shingles are a problem. If you\u2019re a homeowner, you probably already know that a broken or absent shingle will set you up for leaks. But unless you have water dripping onto your kitchen table, it\u2019s one of those issues that\u2019s easy to ignore. However, you may not be as leak-free as you think. Water infiltration can occur in attics or inside walls\u2014places where you may not see it until you have a full-blown mold infestation on your hands. Do yourself a favor and hammer out replacement shingles sooner, rather than later. It could save you a lot of trouble next time it rains.<br \/>\n<strong>Undergo Regular Roofing Inspections<\/strong><br \/>\nSpeaking of missing shingles, did you know you should have your roof inspected every three to five years? Unless you\u2019re fond of ladders, you probably don\u2019t get up on your roof all that often. And that can make it hard to see issues that aren\u2019t visible from the ground. But a qualified inspector can seek out tiny, nearly-invisible problems\u2014like pinhole leaks\u2014which can cost you a lot if they\u2019re not caught early on. Some roofing contractors even offer inspection services for free, so there\u2019s no financial incentive to skip them\u2014especially when a small repair now can save you the cost of a new roofing installation in a year or two.<br \/>\n<strong>Trim Back Nearby Branches<\/strong><br \/>\nThe old oak tree in the yard: a symbol of your deep familial roots and community connections. But when the winds blow, the branches may break, and when the bough breaks, your roof\u2019s integrity is not far behind. Branches carried at high wind speeds can slam into your roof, causing damages untold. Protect your roof by hiring an arborist\u2014a good tree guy will trim overhanging branches and inspect for rotting tree trunks that could be knocked over by one bad blow. A little preparation may not reel in every little fear, but you\u2019ll definitely rest easier the next time it storms. Bring on the rain!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nothing puts you on edge like a big storm. Whether it\u2019s pounding rain and crashing thunder or a blizzard that knocks out the power for days, nasty weather can have you questioning your family\u2019s fundamental security\u2014and the steadfastness of the home that keeps you safe. In fact, a really bad squall challenges all the things [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":668,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/666","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=666"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/666\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}