North Texas winters are mostly mild. But every few years an ice storm or a hard freeze hits, and roofs here are not built with snow country in mind. A short check before the cold can save you from a leak in January.
Before the first freeze
- Clean the gutters. Leaves from fall clog them. When water backs up and freezes, it can push under the edge of the roof.
- Trim the trees. Ice makes branches heavy. A limb over the roof can snap and land on it. Keep branches 6 to 10 feet back.
- Look at the pipe boots. From the ground, with binoculars, look at the rubber collars around the pipes. Cracked ones leak, and cold makes the cracks worse.
- Check the attic. On a sunny day, look for daylight, damp spots or stains. Make sure the attic vents are not blocked.
- Fix small problems now. A loose shingle or lifted flashing is a quick repair in the fall. In an ice storm it becomes a leak.
During an ice storm
- Stay off the roof and off the ladder. Ice on a roof is like glass.
- Do not chip ice off the roof or the gutters. You will break shingles.
- Keep the attic from getting warmer than it needs to be. A warm attic melts the ice from below, and the water refreezes at the cold edge of the roof.
- If water comes through the ceiling, put a bucket under it and read our post on what to do first when the roof leaks.
Ice dams, in plain words
An ice dam is a ridge of ice at the edge of the roof. Snow or ice melts higher up, runs down, and freezes again at the cold edge. The water behind it has nowhere to go, so it backs up under the shingles. They are rare here, but they do happen in a bad storm. Good attic airflow and clean gutters are the best defense.
After the thaw
Walk around the house and look for:
- Shingles or pieces of shingle in the yard.
- Gutters pulled loose or sagging.
- Branches on the roof, or scrapes where one hit.
- New water stains on ceilings, near outside walls and in closets.
Do not climb up to check. A drone or a roofer can look for you.
What to do next
Want to know where your roof stands before the cold? Legacy Roofing offers a free drone roof survey. Someone needs to be home for the flight. You see the pictures before we leave and get a written photo report. Read our maintenance schedule for the rest of the year.
