You’re planning a wintertime vacation.  Whether is a cross country trip to visit family or a relaxing getaway to the tropics, your house will left to fend for itself through winter weather. At Industry Elite Services, we prioritize you and your home’s well-being.

Don’t leave your home unprepared for the winter winds and dropping temperatures.

Damage to a roof that is unoccupied is likely have more damage caused by the leak or hole because no one is there to fix it. Take these vacation preparation ideas to ensure a relaxing trip free from worrying about your home.

Turn down the heat as much as possible.

Ideally, turn your thermostat down right before you step out the door.   One of the major causes of ice dams is the build-up of heat in your attic, which causes the snow on your roof to melt, which eventually turns to ice as it runs down the roof and reaches the overhangs.  If the attic stays hot, snow will continue to melt and freeze.  If you keep the heat reduced, at the very least you’ll help prevent leaking and save on your heating bill.  At most you’ll have prevented ice dams from forming in the first place (and you’ll still have saved yourself a fist full of cash on your heating bill).  Keeping the heat turned down is a win-win.

Rake your roof prior to leaving.

The more snow you can remove, the better.  If ice dams were fire, snow would be the gasoline.  No fire without fuel.  No ice dams without snow.

Pre-schedule a roof snow removal service

Remove the snow from your roof if and when it snows while you’re gone.  Make sure they know to come over only if there’s a certain amount of snow accumulation.  If you don’t normally have ice dams, you will only need the services is over 6 inches has fallen.  Or if you’ve had ice dams before and feel as though your home is particularly susceptible to ice dams, you may want to have the roof snow removal service come by after even less snow has fallen.

Relax on your trip knowing you took the right vacation preparation steps and your roof is safe.