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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 24, 2018)
Wednesday, October 24, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Food & Home WINTERIZE: Clean roof gutters and valleys now to avoid trouble Continued from page 14 driving up the heating bills. A little upfront investment can save money in the long run — and make your home more comfortable. “Windows and doors are the main culprits of poor insulation in a home, and magnetic storm windows and/or caulking around win- dows is a good idea,” Pioneer Restoration emphasizes. “Also, make sure the weather stripping around doors is in good shape and adequately seals as an air and moisture barrier. An easy way to check is to place lit incense and see if smoke drifts towards win- dow or door frames. If so, new weather stripping and/or caulking is a good idea.” As Sisters residents learned at high cost a couple of years ago, roofs can be a vulnerable spot when the snow comes down hard and heavy and sticks around in bone-cracking cold. John Corbett of Elite Roofing emphasizes how crit- ical it is to clean gutters and roof valleys — thoroughly and more than once in the sea- son if necessary. He notes that many homes in Sisters Country are roofed in concrete tile, and many of them are 20 or more years old. “People do very little main- tenance on them,” he said. If water is blocked in valleys, it moves sideways instead of down and off the roof, and infiltrates under those tiles, causing leakage and underlayment damage. Merely sweeping away this year’s pine needles may not be enough if there is a layer of dirt and duff. It’s worthwhile to get a professional contrac- tor to check the valleys and clean the roof so that it func- tions properly. Two winters ago, ice dams caused thousands of dollars in damage to Sisters homes, creating water infiltration and leaving residents desperate to get rid of them. Corbett says the first key to preventing ice dams is keeping gutters as ice-free as possible. That’s where ice dams start forming. Removing snow as it falls can help prevent formation of ice dams and relieve strain on the roof — if it’s done prop- erly. Just raking a few feet of snow off the roof may not get the job done. “Roofs are most suscep- tible to ice dams where there is a penetration of heat escap- ing from the attic,” Laredo Construction reports. “This usually happens where the insulation narrows at your exterior walls where the rafters meet the wall framing. If you only remove snow from the first few feet of your eaves the ice dam can just simply start higher up the roof.” Corbett of Elite Roofing cautions against removing snow all the way down to the singles. That can damage the shingles. Leave an inch or snow of snow. Heat wires or heat tape isn’t very effective, in If you only remove snow from the first few feet of your eaves the ice dam can just simply start higher up the roof. — Laredo Construction Corbett’s experience. “Those do very little,” he said. “They essentially melt little mice trails in the snow that’s on your roof rather than eliminating it.” If you do get ice dams, don’t make the situation worse — and make roof repair and replacement work for contractors. “If you do get an ice dam,” Corbett cautioned, “get some- body professional to remove it, not just somebody banging on it with an ax or a sledge- hammer or any tool they can find.” Chances are, at some point this winter, you’ll have to get your driveway plowed. Laredo construction recom- mends some prep work: “Before the snow comes, stake out the areas you want plowed. When your driveway is under a foot of snow it is impossible for a plow (opera- tor) to see your landscape lights or sprinkler heads.” Hopefully, Sisters Country will have a perfect winter — a white Christmas and enough snow to keep drought at bay 21 without blanketing our world for weeks on end. But what- ever comes, it’ll go better if you take a little time to pre- pare now. And there are lots of professionals in Sisters ready to help you get those chores done right. ANYTIME – ANYDAY WAT E R ★ MOLD ★ FIRE ★ R E C O N S T R U C T I ON Winterize Sprinklers and Indoor Plumbing to Prevent Flooding and Expensive Damage Come Spring. Visit Pioneer at bit.ly/winterize-sisters-or to learn more or call 541-639-4880 to schedule services today. CCB# 196157 Great ideas... COME VISIT OUR SHOWROOM Variety • Quality • Price Range Buy local from Sweeney Plumbing and save the trip to Bend! 7:30 am-4 pm Mon.-Fri. 541-549-4349 260 N. 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