When winter hits Scotland it really is a mixed bag. Some days there are sub zero temperatures. Others include snow and most of the other days are filled with rain.

This mixture of weather conditions can play havoc with your homes roof; no matter whether it is a slate roof, tiled roof or even a flat roof. Rain water can penetrate gaps while the freezing, defrosting and refreezing can make tiny cracks large holes in a matter of days.

At Balmore, we are one of the most experienced roofers in Glasgow serving the central belt of Scotland and beyond the capital Edinburgh. Over nearly four decades of roofing experience, we have built up a wealth of skills in all manner of roofing and here, to help help you get through the winter weather is four of our top tips to reduce the chances of damage being caused to your homes roof.

Roofing Tip 1. Carry out an inspection of your roof in Autumn.

This may seem obvious but a simple visual inspection by yourself may spot a few loose slates that require attention while your local roofer will be able to conduct a more thorough inspection and spot things such as loose guttering that needs attention sooner rather than later. An extension to this tip is that the earlier you check your roof, the more likely that something can be done about it before the winter winds begin hitting. While we will always do our best to handle any emergency roofing work, most roof repairs and maintenance has to be scheduled in and because so many homeowners in Glasgow book a roofer for this kind of work in Autumn, it can become quite busy and hard to book a time slot. So plan ahead.

Roofing Tip 2. Clear away Autumn leaves

Glasgow has a lot of trees so when Autumn comes, the residential areas of the city get covered in fallen leaves. So many roofing problems are caused by blocked gutters because the leaves have not been cleared. They add weight to your gutter, can create a miniature dam that blocks the draining rain water and when frozen, can expand to crack your gutter piping.

Roofing Tip 3. Check for problems after a storm.

These days the storms that pass over Scotland have names. So when you hear that a new storm with a catchy name is passing over your home, make a mental note to check your roof the next day. You may have conducted your visual check of the roof in early autumn but storms that hit in the later part of November can make your homes roof vulnerable to winter weather.

Roofing Tip 4. Clear away snow if you can.

This one is a bit more tricky but if you can clear away snow that builds up on your roof then try do to so (but always be incredibly careful). Snow build up on your roof adds weight and can help destabilise roof slates, helping them to work free more easily. If you have a flat roof then the build up of snow can cause something called ponding. This is where the weight of the snow causes the flat roof to dip and create a miniature pond that water will not drain from. This can cause more serious issues in the year ahead.

Lightning Protection

With over 300,000 lightning strikes that hit the ground across the UK every year, you can protect your building from the risk of structural damage caused by lightning strikes with a lightning protection system. Lightning protection systems are used to prevent a lightning strike from damaging a building, its stonework and its internal electrical equipment. As a leading Roofing, Building Maintenance and Rope Access Specialist, we can fit lighting protection systems to a building with great ease – regardless of the difficult access nature of the building structure.

Lightning Protection Systems must be professionally tested once a year (at least) to ensure that they are capable of handling a lighting strike and safely transferring the electrical current to a safe earthing point. Lightning Protection Testing is required for compliance with the Electricity at Work Act 1989, BS6651 and BS EN 62305. Balmore Specialist Contracts are trusted to supply and maintain lightning conductor systems in building across Glasgow, Edinburgh and further afield.  This ensures the safety of the public, staff and buildings in full compliance with BS:EN 62305 standards, and that meets the criteria required for insurance purposes.

Find out more

If you would like to know more about roofing maintenance and to book Balmore to conduct a roof inspection of your property, please call our Glasgow head office by calling 0141 944 6100.