The holidays are fast approaching, and if you like decking the halls to the extreme like Clark Griswold from “Christmas Vacation,” we applaud your efforts. But there are a few safety concerns to be aware of if you plan to get up on the roof or a ladder to string up your lights. You could do some serious damage to your Roof if you’re not careful. And of course, you could fall and break a leg, too.
Check out these tips for safe holiday light stringing.
1. Call a Roofing Professional
First and foremost, call a trusted roofer to come out to your home and perform a roof inspection. They will be on the lookout for any areas of concern that should be addressed before winter comes. Once those areas have been identified and possible repairs fixed, you can carry on with your decorating in a safe manner.
2. Untangle and Inspect Lights and Cords
Before you head up to the roof, take all the Christmas lights out of their boxes and lay them flat on your driveway. Plug them in to make sure they light up. Don’t wait till you’ve strung them up to do this, as you could be very frustrated when you realize that “when one goes out, they all go out.” Check for signs of disrepair on all cords and outlets. Take the time to untangle the lights now before you get up on the ladder.
3. Use Plastic Clips
Don’t reach for the staple gun to secure your lights to the roof. Rather, it’s better to use plastic clips and zip ties that attach to your gutters and eaves (never your siding). This is the safer way to attach lights and other displays to the roof, as they don’t cause permanent marks and damage like staples will. You can leave them up all year long, as they’re made of clear plastic and aren’t very visible to those on the ground. Be sure to adhere to the recommended weight load.
4. Place Heavy Decorations in the Yard
It may be tempting to position your beloved Santa sleigh and reindeer decorations on the roof. But instead, leave those heavy decorations in the yard. That’s because their weight adds a lot of stress to your roof, which can damage asphalt shingles and metal panels. If you can’t do without the roof decorations, switch to lighter ones.
5. Don’t Walk on the Roof
Never walk around on your roof if you can help it. You don’t want to damage your shingles and cause potential areas of leakage.
Contact Revered Roofing in the South Shore
If you’re getting ready to string up holiday lights, call for a roof inspection in Hanson MA today. Just contact us at 781-536-4589. If you have already ventured up to the roof and think you may have caused damage, let our inspectors take a look and repair those issues first.
Paul was easy going and a pleasure to deal with. No pressure. Crew got started late but the metal roof with new sky lights over our sun room was done in a day! Quality work. I recommend Revered Metal Roofing.