Every December we get calls about roofs that were fine in October. A lot of them trace back to the same weekend: the one after Thanksgiving, when the lights went up.
The damage is rarely obvious at the time. A staple goes through a shingle, the lights look great, and nobody thinks about it again until spring. Here’s how to hang holiday lights without damaging your roof or gutters this November, especially with a Minnesota winter right around the corner.
Why Staples Can Damage Your Roof Shingles
A shingle sheds water only as long as it’s intact. A staple or nail punches a hole straight through it. The hole is tiny, and on a dry day it does nothing. But a Rochester and Southeast Minnesota winter runs through a lot of freeze and thaw. Meltwater finds the hole, freezes overnight, and widens it a little each cycle. It can take a season or two before anything shows up inside the house.
Staples in the fascia (the board your gutters attach to) are less serious, though they still break the paint and let moisture into the wood. Our opinion: put the staple gun away entirely. Clips cost a few dollars a bag and hold better.
If you notice damaged or missing shingles, learn more about roof repair and roofing services in Rochester.
Use Light Clips That Are Safe for Shingles and Gutters
Plastic light clips come in two basic styles, and most hardware stores in town carry both.
- Gutter clips hook over the front lip of the gutter and hold the strand. No fasteners, nothing permanent. If you have gutters along the roof edge, this is the option we’d pick.
- Shingle clips slide under the bottom edge of a shingle and grip it. They work on eaves without gutters and along the sloped edges of a gable.
One caution with shingle clips. Asphalt shingles stiffen in the cold, and an older roof is stiffer still. Slide the clip in gently and don’t pry the shingle up to make room. If it’s below about 40 degrees, wait for a warmer afternoon, because a cold shingle can crack at the corner when it’s bent.
Keep Your Latter Off the Gutters
Not on the gutter. Residential gutters are thin aluminum, hung to carry water and not much else. Lean an extension ladder against one and you can crush the front edge or pull the hangers loose from the fascia. A gutter knocked even slightly out of pitch stops draining the way it should, and you’ll find that out during the first big melt.
If your gutters are already pulling away, sagging, or not draining properly, it may be worth having your gutters inspected or replaced before winter.
The fix is a ladder stabilizer, sometimes called a standoff. It’s a wide bracket that mounts near the top of the ladder and braces against the roof or the wall, so the ladder never touches the gutter.
Set the base one foot out from the house for every four feet of height, on firm and level ground. And check for frost first. A November morning can leave a slick film on the rungs that’s gone by noon.
What to Avoid When Hanging Holiday Lights
- Walking on the roof. Cold shingles shed their granules (the gritty surface that protects them from the sun) underfoot, and a frosty roof is no place to stand.
- Hanging heavy decorations from the gutters. Light strands are fine. A thick garland or an inflatable tied off to a gutter adds weight it wasn’t built for, and snow piles on top of that.
- Pulling lights down from the ground in January. A hard yank can take a shingle corner with it. Wait for a thaw and unclip them by hand.
Check Your Roof and Gutters While You’re Up There
You’re at eye level with your roof edge, which doesn’t happen often. Some of what you’ll see is normal, like a little shingle grit in the gutter or scuffs on the gutter face. Other things are worth noting: a gutter section that has pulled away from the house, or a shingle with a cracked corner. Old staple holes count too, whether they’re yours or a previous owner’s.
None of these necessarily mean a leak is on the way. They’re just good to know about before winter settles in.
If you notice damage and aren’t sure whether it needs attention, Weather Shield can take a look. Our team provides roofing and gutter services throughout Rochester and Southeast Minnesota.
If you had a new roof installed this year, a quick check before winter can help you know what’s normal, what paperwork to keep, and when something deserves a call to your roofing contractor.
None of this takes long. Most of it you can do from a kitchen table.
Keep Your Roof Warranty and Paperwork in One Place
Start with the warranty. There are usually two: the manufacturer’s warranty on the shingles and the workmanship warranty from your contractor. Many manufacturers want the roof registered within a set window after installation, and the upgraded coverage levels often depend on it. If you’re not sure whether yours was registered, ask whoever installed it. It’s a two-minute question.
Then put these in a single folder (paper or digital, doesn’t matter):
- The signed contract and final invoice
- Warranty documents and any registration confirmation
- The shingle brand and exact color name
- Permit paperwork, if your city or township required one
- A few photos of the finished roof
The shingle color name seems minor until a branch takes out a few tabs in year six and someone has to match them. And if you ever sell the house or file a storm claim, that folder saves a lot of digging.
If your roof was replaced because of storm damage, keeping these records together can also make future storm damage and insurance claims easier to navigate.
What’s Normal for a New Roof During Its First Winter
Granules in the gutters. Granules are the sandy coating on asphalt shingles. Every shingle leaves the factory with extra, and the loose ones wash off over the first several rains. Seeing a layer of grit in the gutters or at the bottom of a downspout this fall isn’t a sign of a problem.
Shingles that haven’t sealed yet. Each shingle has a strip of adhesive that bonds it to the one below, and that strip needs sun and warmth to activate. A roof put on in July sealed within days. One finished in October may not, especially on the north side where the sun barely reaches this time of year. Those shingles are still nailed down and still shedding water. They’ll finish sealing when things warm up in spring. Until then, they’re a little more exposed to strong wind, which is worth knowing but not worth losing sleep over.
Signs Your New Roof Is Worth a Call to Your Contractor
You can check all of this from the ground. Please stay off the roof, especially once there’s frost on it.
After a windy day, walk the yard and look up. A shingle that’s lifted or missing should be reported to your installer. Same goes for any metal flashing (the trim that seals around chimneys and vents) that looks loose or bent.
If you notice visible roof damage after a Minnesota storm, Weather Shield’s storm damage restoration services can help you determine what needs attention.
Inside, take a look at the ceilings on the top floor after the first real thaw. A new water stain is not something to watch for a few weeks. Call.
If you’re comfortable poking your head into the attic on a cold morning, bring a flashlight. Heavy frost on the underside of the roof deck or on the nail tips points to warm, damp house air getting up there. That’s usually a ventilation or air-sealing question, not a roofing defect, but it’s a good one to raise in the first winter instead of the fifth.
Heat loss and inadequate insulation can also contribute to problems during a Minnesota winter. Learn more about signs your home is losing heat through the attic.
Finally, pay attention to where ice forms. A few icicles are part of living here. Thick ice that keeps building along the same section of eave is worth mentioning.
Protect Your New Roof During the Winter
Don’t chip ice off a new roof, and go easy with the roof rake. Cold shingles are brittle, and it’s easier to damage them than people expect.
Questions About Your New Roof?
If we installed your roof and you can’t find your warranty information, or you’ve spotted something on this list and want a second opinion, reach out to our team.
If someone else did the work, we’re still happy to answer questions. A new roof should be the thing you stop thinking about, and a short check now helps make that true.
Weather Shield provides roofing services in Rochester and Southeast Minnesota, from roof inspections and repairs to full roof replacements.