Texas storm season in the Houston or Dallas areas is brutal on your home. From heavy rain and wind to those dreaded hail storms, storm season can do some severe damage to your roof. Is there anything you can do to prepare? It can often feel like your roof is at the mercy of the weather.
Short of putting a protective bubble over your home, you can’t completely protect your roof from storm damage.
There is some good news, though. You can do a few things to prepare your home and roof for storm season. With some preparation, you can minimize the effects of severe storm damage to your home.
Safety First
Any time you do roof work or maintenance, safety comes first.
Use a sturdy ladder and make sure it’s secure before you climb it. Keep the area below you clean of tools, patio furniture, and other debris.
Wear boots or shoes that tie while on the ladder or roof. If your roof is already wet, wait until a dry day before attempting any roof maintenance.
Check the Gutters
Your gutters are part of your roofing system. It’s critical that gutters are clear of debris and attached correctly underneath your roof’s shingles.
When gutters are clogged, adding more rain and debris during storm season causes your gutters to fail. Water can’t flow away from the roof and your foundation. This can cause water to back up underneath shingles and leak into your home.
Before storm season, clean debris from your gutters. Make sure they aren’t loose. Look for cracks or gaps in the caulking between the gutter and your house.
Check for dents in the gutters. Dented gutters can affect the flow of water through the gutter system.
If you find any issues, contact a roofing and gutter repair expert. Fix gutters before the first significant rains of the season.
Trim Trees
Heavy winds and rain knock down plenty of tree limbs in the Houston and Dallas areas.
Prevent roof damage by trimming tree limbs away from your roof line.
A good tree trim also prevents leaves from landing in your gutters during a severe storm. When leaves fall in your gutters during a storm, they quickly clog your gutters and cause water damage to your home.
Inspect the Roof
Again, ensure safety first with this pre-storm preparation task.
Check your roof for any signs of damage–or potential damage. Look for shingles that don’t lay flat. Check for cracks or blisters in shingles or sealant.
If you’re comfortable, carefully walk your roof and pay attention to any weak spots. This could mean water has made it through to the decking and the wood is damaged.
Look for divots or missing granules on shingles. This could be damage from last year’s storms.
Check all potential entry points: chimney, vents, skylights. Look for gaps in sealant or anything that feels loose.
If this part of your pre-storm season roof preparation feels too dangerous, call a roofing expert. They’ll perform a roof inspection and let you know any need attention before storms come.
Don’t Get Caught In the Storm
It might not be your favorite home maintenance task. However, it’s important to inspect and prepare your roof for storm season in Texas before your roof gets caught unprepared in the storm.
Let Fitz Roofing help with your roof inspection. We’re roofing experts serving the Houston and Dallas areas. Our experience makes us familiar with Texas storm damage and how to best protect your roof and home from before the storms hit.
Don’t forget you can download our helpful guide full of information about what to look for in a roofing company!
