Maintenance

Getting Your Roof Ready for a Mountain West Winter

Ice dams, wet mountain snows, and freeze-thaw cycles do their damage quietly. An autumn afternoon of prep prevents most of it — here is the sequence.

Why fall prep matters more here

Mountain West winters are not uniformly cold — they oscillate. A 60°F afternoon melts snow that refreezes at 15°F that night, and that freeze-thaw cycling pries at every weak flashing seam and lifted shingle on the roof. The roof that goes into winter tight comes out fine; the one with small autumn flaws comes out with spring leaks.

Clean the gutters — properly

Clogged gutters are the seed of ice dams: trapped water freezes, builds a base layer of ice, and gives every later melt a place to pool against the shingle edge. After the cottonwoods and ashes finish dropping (usually early November across much of the region), clear gutters and confirm downspouts actually flow by running a hose. While you are there, check that gutter spikes or hangers are snug — heavy wet snow will exploit a loose run.

Do a binocular shingle survey

From the ground, scan for lifted or missing shingles, exposed nail heads, and curling edges — high winds turn each into a starting point for blow-offs. Look hard at flashing around chimneys, skylights, and vent pipes: flashing failures, not field shingles, cause the majority of winter leaks. Cracked rubber vent boots are a five-dollar part and one of the most common culprits.

Understand (and prevent) ice dams

Ice dams form when attic heat melts the underside of the snowpack; the water runs to the cold eave and refreezes into a growing ridge that ponds water under the shingles. The fix is mostly in the attic, not on the roof: air-seal the ceiling penetrations below (can lights, bath fans, attic hatch), confirm insulation is at least R-49 along the full ceiling including the tricky edges above the wall plates, and keep soffit vents unblocked so the underside of the roof stays cold. Heat cable along problem eaves is a band-aid — sometimes a reasonable one, but treat the attic first.

Trim the threats overhead

Branches that overhang the roof drop their snow load in clumps, scour shingles in wind, and feed the gutters all autumn. Cut anything within about six feet of the surface. After heavy wet spring snows — the March and April specials — a roof rake used from the ground on the lower few feet relieves both weight and ice-dam fuel; never chip at formed ice, which takes shingles with it.

Book inspections before the rush

If your roof is past ten years old or took hail last season, a professional fall inspection is cheap insurance — and October calendars are far friendlier than post-storm ones. A good inspection covers the attic side as well as the shingles and produces photos you can act on (and keep on file for any future insurance conversation).

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