wooden house near pine trees and pond coated with snow during daytime

The Higher Risk of Water Damage in Winter Due to Snow | Roofing Boise

The snowfalls of winter come with many risks, and your home is not exempt from danger. Water damage due to heavy, wet and melting snow as well as ice can cause severe water damage within your home. Not only can melting ice and snow make its way into your basement, but it can also easily damage your roof. Ice dams and clogged gutters can spell disaster for your roof, but there are some ways to spot damage and fix it before it’s irreparable.

How to Spot Water Damage on Your Roof in Winter

Spotting roof damage in spring, summer and fall is fairly easy since you can usually just look at it from afar and see dark spots or go up and analyze it up close for soft areas, loose or damaged shingles and moisture. However, the roof is typically coated in snow and ice in winter, making distant analysis difficult and close up inspections dangerous.

Luckily, there are some ways of detecting roof damage within the house. Check the walls and ceilings of the floor closest to the roof for water spots, discoloration and mold.

Next, go up into your attic or crawl space and look for moldy or wet insulation, water spots, discoloration, cracked plaster and leaks.

You should also check your chimney, skylights and vents as water can easily sneak in through these areas.

Extreme cases of water damage may be able to be seen from outside during winter. If your roof has experienced so much water damage from the snow and ice, there may be a big of a sagging area or shadowed spot on the roof.

What Happens if the Water Damage is Not Quickly Repaired?

Water damage only gets worse the longer you leave it alone. Your roof may start to crack or sag even worse than it already is, which would cause severe leaks, mold and possibly structural damage. While you may think you’re saving money by not making the repairs, you may actually end up with a much larger repair bill in the future. You may possibly even end up needing to replace the entire roof if it gets too severe.

To save yourself the trouble and financial blow of severe water damage, always be on the lookout for the telltale signs of water damage within your home, and quickly address any issue that you spot as soon as possible.