Enjoy Winter Rather Than Suffering Through It We recommend that, in order to spend the winter in peace, without water infiltration, several items should be checked on your roofing membrane, whether it is new or old, because there is a lot more than just the membrane on your roof. Example: Did you remove all leaves and litter of any kind around your drain opening and gutters? This allows the water to evacuate freely, because even with a new roofing membrane, water accumulation can cause serious damage. Did you verify that your ceiling joints are not cracked or that they have not come loose, because they could let water leak through? Did you check your skylight? The glass needs to be well sealed, but not too much as to interfere with the gutters, and any cracked glass must be repaired Some skylights, like the one in the photograph below, require even more specialized maintenance. Did you verify the condition of the brick mortar and various elements on the roof, such as chimneys, walls, etc.? Of course, we observed infiltrations in two places (photograph below), but with preventive maintenance, they could have been avoided. Did you verify the bases of the electrical wiring tripods? In the case below, nails that were hammered in to hold the tripod on the wooden base, went through the membrane once the wood base rotted. A simple glance could have avoided that. In addition, there was a high risk of electrocution, because the base itself had become loose. In short, did you carry out a proper visual inspection of all of the elements on your roof in order to minimize surprises that could be very unpleasant if there were to be an infiltration, even if there was a new roofing membrane, no matter how good it is? If you don’t have the time or the ability, or if you cannot carry out a proper visual inspection for whatever reason, we suggest our “Mon toit, j’y vois” prevention program. Roofing prices are available upon request. Questions or Comments? Contact us! Jacques Perron Published September 30, 2013