After Thanksgiving, it is a moment to put out all your favorite Christmas items. This is the time to bring out your tree, dinnerware, stockings, ornaments, and garland to commemorate the season. Everyone is obviously in a festive mood. However, you have to mind about safety in the midst of the festivities. The decoration is part of the holiday season and comes with hanging light on the roof. Great care is required to avoid ending up with injuries from falls or slips.
Extra precaution is necessary to avoid handing your Christmas lights poorly on the roof, leading to significant damage and compromising structural integrity. A roof is an important feature on a home, and the presence of damage comes with severe consequences. When hanging lights this Christmas, here are tips to avoid damaging your roof.
Ensure Safety And Minimize Structural Damage
Safety is very important when hanging Christmas string lights on your roof. Having a ladder is not enough. Proper use of a ladder is necessary to avoid damaging your roof and hurting yourself. Wear appropriate shoes that won’t slip when high on the ladder or roof.
Additionally, use a ladder in good condition, not one that will give away when exposed to your weight. Equally important is minding about structural damage when hanging the lights. Ensure that the roof can support your weight, and the light supports you are planning to use.
Get A Professional For Any Roof Damage
When you first get on the roof, look for any signs of possible damage. Call a professional for roof repair in Los Angeles without trying to use DIY techniques. You risk causing more damage and hurting your roof and yourself in the process. Calling a professional roofer is a proactive solution. This allows fixing the issues when early before escalating and costing you a lot more. A qualified roofer will offer free estimates and inspect your roof to determine maintenance needs before giving you the go-ahead to hang your Christmas lights.
Keep All Appropriate Supplies Handy
Perhaps you are using lights from the previous year. Get them out and untangle them before climbing the ladder. Test the lights to ensure that each strand works. Double-check each strand to ensure that it is recommended for outdoor use. Have the appropriate outdoor extension cords handy when planning to use more than one strand.
Keep plastic clips for working with the roofing system. Attaching the lights directly to the window trim or other parts of the home might require using nails. Using poor attachments to the shingles is a common cause of roof damage when hanging Christmas lights. Slide clips under the shingle bed limit roof damage. These are ideal for elevating the lights to limit the heat from causing warping or other damage to the shingle surface.
Tread Softly On The Roof
Please tread carefully without rushing or taking heavy steps when walking atop the roof. There is a chance of your high-pitched roof not being boot-friendly. Treading softly avoids crushing and damaging the roof. When not sure about the structural integrity of your roof, use alternative means to hang the lights without risking your safety.
Hand Lights On Secure Points
When attaching lights, ensure that the points withstand the weight and force imposed by the lights. These come with varying weight, with some spots on the roof being weak compared to others. Keep in mind that some spots on your roof might not support the force of hammering nails. Identify secure and stably points before starting to hang your lights. Wood surfaces should be strong to hold the lights while you have to avoid attaching string lights to gutters, shingles, and tiles.
Avoid Adding Too Much Weight
Your roof might look strong enough but avoid loading the roof with various displays and decorations. These might be too heavy for your roof. The rule of thumb is to avoid putting too much weight in a small area. Place the various pieces around the roof evenly. Placing too much weight stresses the roof supports, shingles, and other structures.
In A Nutshell
Amidst the preparations for the Christmas festivities, roof damage is the last thing to wish for. Hang lights on your roof safely to avoid injuries and damage. Tread carefully on the roof, call a roofer for any issues
Remove Christmas Lights Carefully
Now that you have understood how to hang Christmas lights without damaging your roof, you have to understand how to remove them safely after the season. Use a similar approach applied when hanging them to take them away until the next season. Simply yanking them off the roof without climbing onto the ladder again might seem easier.
However, this might cause significant damage to the lights and roof structure. Taking time to remove each secured strand avoids ripping your gutters, shingles, and other roof components.