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Holiday Lights and Your Roof—Naughty or Nice?

November 29, 2017

It’s the holidays, the time of year when many homeowners attempt feats of acrobatic dexterity they wouldn’t dream of performing any other time of year—all in the name of the spirit of the season. If you’re one of the hundreds of thousands of homes that will shine brightly this holiday season, there’s a few tips and tricks to consider to keep your roof safe and secure long after Santa Claus shimmies down your chimney. Here’s our top 3 tips

Leave the stapler gun in the garage. There are many reasons not to go Clark Griswold on your roof. Besides the electrocution issue, you NEVER want to put holes in your roof, even if they’re from tiny staples. Any size hole can let in water, and when that water freezes and expands during the winter months it can magnify the hole to something that could lead to significant damage. Even stapling the lights to your eaves can cause issues. Best to purchase plastic clips that will attach lights to your shingles, gutters and tile without damage.
Step lightly when you’re “Up On The Housetop.” Roofs and shingles aren’t built to withstand lots of foot traffic. If you do need to access your roof to hang lights, wear soft-soled shoes and spend as little time on your roof as possible. If you have a tile roof, place your feet on the peaks of the roof where the tiles are thicker and not in the valleys where they can be cracked and broken easily. Try to avoid walking on your roof mid-day when it is in direct sunlight, choosing a time when the roof is cool is the best option.
Start the new year off right. Once the holidays are over, most of us are exhausted and ready to get our homes back to their pre-holiday state as soon as possible. It’s easy to want to cut corners, rip the lights off the roof and roll them up until the next year. However, this is the absolute WORST mistake you can make during the season of lights when it comes to your roof. Yanking the cord and ripping off the lights can cause significant damage to your gutters, fascia and structure. And if you didn’t heed our advice and used a staple gun (or worse—nails or screws) to attach lights to shingles, you could find yourself shopping for a new roof in the spring.

Whether your house is lit up like the Empire State building or you go the more conservative lighting route, planning your decorating (and removal) strategy in advance will preserve the life of your roof for years to come. Remember that many factors can damage your roof and cause it to leak, and our extreme Midwest temperatures can make these factors worse. Be sure to have your roof inspected regularly to ensure that all components are in proper condition. Give the team at RSG a call at 816-866-4235 or just click HERE to schedule your complimentary consultation.