Homeowners know that their roof is a vulnerable part of a home but they might not realize that big holiday decorating in the winter makes the roof especially vulnerable to damages. Along with the strong snow storms involved in winter damage to roofs, walking across your roof for decorating can also cause damage to shingles. As you will see below, improperly hanging Christmas lights during the holiday season can cause a number of damages to your roof.
TWO MAJOR THINGS TO AVOID:
1. Using Shingles to Hang Christmas Lights
Serious damage can be caused by improper hanging of lights to the shingles on a roof. Clamps connecting the lights to the shingles can potentially crack the structure of the shingles, which could lead to leaks. Stapling Christmas lights to the surface of the shingles is the worst thing you can do during holiday decorating.
The correct way to properly hang your Christmas lights is from the gutters. Buying easy to use gutter clamps at your local hardware store is the best way you can attach the lights to the roofing structure. The clips are specifically designed to correctly attach to the gutter and hold the Christmas lights in place.
2. Carelessly Taking Down Lights after the Season
When it comes to tearing down holiday decorations, the worst thing a home owner can do is impatiently pulling the lights off of their roofs. Stripping the lights from the roof by pulling on the lighting cord may seem easy, but it can result in a lot of damage to the roof and gutters. The worst is pulling lights down from a roof if you have chosen to staple the lights to the shingle – it may result in substantial damage to your shingles and to the outer edges of your roof. In order to preserve the integrity of your roof and gutters, the best way to take down Christmas lights is by removing each gutter clip individually. Although this may require more patience, it will save you from digging into your wallet in the future.
Roofing Contractors Advice:
We always advise homeowners to take their time during the decorating and tearing down of lights on a house. It does take substantial amounts of time to do this correctly; however, it will be well worth the time investment to preserve the life of your roof in the long-run.
Worried that Holiday Decorating has Damaged Your Roof?
Decorating a home with Christmas lights is a fun way to embrace the holiday season, but it can cause damage to your roof. Our experts at Kaiser Siding and Roofing are happy to come out and inspect your roof for damages caused by decorating. Our reps can inspect and give an estimate on any roof repair or replacement for FREE.
We hope that you can safely enjoy decorating for the holidays!