Hanging colorful lighting displays from the roof is a holiday tradition enjoyed by many people in the Twin Cities metro. Twinkling lights in an array of different colors are a fantastic way to spread festive cheer with all your neighbors and holiday guests. However, hanging Christmas lights from your roof can have unfortunate consequences as well. There’s the obvious risk of slipping and falling off your ladder during installation, but improperly hanging your holiday lights could also result in costly damage to your roof. Keep reading to learn how you can safely hang your Christmas lights without causing roof damage.
Should I Hang Holiday Lights from My Roof or My Gutter?
The first decision to make when hanging holiday lighting from your roof in the Twin Cities area is whether you want to hang lights from your roof shingles or your gutters. For the sake of avoiding damage to your roof, your best choice is to hang your Christmas lights from the gutters. String lights can easily be clipped onto gutters without any risk of harm, as long as you don’t hang an excessive number of lights.
Before hanging holiday lights from your gutters, make sure to clean them out. Dirty gutters will be harder for clips to attach to, increasing the risk that your string lights will come falling down at some point during the winter. Clogged gutters are also a lot heavier. If your gutters are already piled with fallen leaves and ice, adding Christmas lights to the mix could result in your gutters sagging out of shape or suffering damage. Yet another good reason to thoroughly clean your gutters before putting up your lights is that you’ll reduce the risk of ice dams forming, something that can result in severe roof damage.
However, some homeowners in the Twin Cities still choose to hang Christmas lighting directly from their roofs because they prefer the way it looks. Just be careful when putting up your decorations; when holiday lights are clipped to roofs improperly, roof shingles can be loosened or damaged. This creates the potential for roof leaks, water damage, and mold growth.
How to Hang Your Christmas Lights Without Risking Roof Damage
If you do choose to clip holiday lights onto your roof in the Twin Cities area, make sure to take measures to minimize the risk of damage to shingles. For starters, be sure to only use plastic clips, since heavier and sharper metal clips are much likelier to damage your roof shingles. It’s also a good idea to invest in ridge clips, which are specially designed to support string lights along roof ridges without allowing damage to shingles.
You may have heard of some people attaching their Christmas lights to their roofs with staples or nails; don’t be one of those people. Staples and, especially, nails will puncture your roof shingles, greatly increasing the risk of your roof leaking and further damage taking place. If clips aren’t working to attach your holiday lights to your roof, accept defeat and attach them to your gutters instead. This is much better than placing your roof at severe risk of expensive water damage.
Be careful where you hang the cords used to power your Christmas lights as well. Even cords that are rated for outdoor usage may eventually crack in the cold winter weather of Minnesota. If water gets into a cord – something that often happens when they dangle into or beneath gutters – it could lead to a power outage or a fire that damages your roof. Additionally, be careful about hanging two many cords from gutters, which may weigh them down to the point of loosening them or causing damage.
Consult a Trusted Roofing Company in the Twin Cities
At Arko Exteriors, we know all about how to hang holiday lights in a way that is safe for your roof and we’re happy to provide gutter and roof repairs if damage does occur. Give us a call today if you’re in need of any roofing services in the Twin Cities metro area!