The winter season will soon be here, and while the weather is yet to throw the worst towards our homes, make sure you get all your roofing maintenance out the way to prevent the need for roof repairs on your London property when spring arrives. The health of your roof is imperative to the comfort level of your home and family and if your roof is suffering defects or damage, it’s more likely to be letting draughts in, letting expensive heat out and potentially affecting the structural integrity of your property.
Checking the Inside
Where it’s safe to do so, check out the inner portion of your roof during the day and check over all the joints and walls for light leaks. Cover windows to prevent too much light coming into the space, as this makes it easier to find small holes or gaps where light might be peeking through. Finding light leaks in your roof before the worst of the rainy season is vital because the longer that damp and moisture is allowed to work its way into your property, the harder it can be to dry out affected areas. In turn, this can lead to problems with damp, dry rot and wet rot.
If you do find light leaks or gaps in your roof, double check the surrounding woodwork and beams to ensure that damp hasn’t already started to spread throughout your roof space. It’s not always obvious by looking, so where possible and without risk to yourself, try a touch test on surrounding beams to check for moisture.
Should there be any pipes in your roof space, make sure these are sufficiently insulated with lagging. While heat rises, cold snaps can still make your roof space a chilly place and lagging ensures that your pipes are not at risk of freezing. Frozen pipes can rupture and burst, flooding your roof space and causing havoc in your home.
On to the Exterior
If you think of the average family home, you might be forgiven for forgetting the gutters in your mental image – they are so standard to our properties that often they get overlooked during our home maintenance sweep. However, gutters are a necessary component of funnelling water that rains onto your roof away from your property and down a dedicated drain, preventing water from dripping onto external walls or sitting on rooftops with nowhere to go.
Make sure all your gutters have been cleared of autumn debris like leaf litter and mossy patches and check that all fixings are secure to your property. Check that the connection between the downpipe and guttering is secure and watertight and ensure that the downpipe is in the correct place over the drain, which must also be cleared of any debris. Clearing your drain ensures ample drainage, preventing water puddling over paths and potentially becoming a hazard in icy cold weather.
If you are comfortable and can safely do so, get up on a ladder and check the exterior of your roof for loose, missing or damaged roof tiles which can cause problems with leaks and potentially affect the stability of the surrounding tiles. However, if you don’t feel confident, do not do so. Instead, check over your roof from the ground or call in a qualified roofing company to perform a roof health check.
Your roof is all that stands between your cosy home and the wet and cold weather, so it deserves to be looked after. If you are concerned about the stability of your roof over the winter season or need roof repairs for your London property, get in touch with our fully qualified, friendly team on 020 8291 3388 or email us at admin@chrisballroofing.co.uk.
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