How to Hang Christmas Lights Without Causing Damage to Your Roof - Rhino Roofers

Here in San Antonio, homeowners take great pride in their beautifully decorated homes, which is especially true for the holidays.

Unfortunately each year far too many people inadvertently cause damage to their roof by making some simple mistakes while putting up their Christmas decorations.

Here are some holiday tips to avoid causing any damage to your Roof this Season while hanging Christmas lights.

1. Don’t Put Holes in Your Roof

While you may be channeling your inner Clark Griswold this Christmas, we suggest you leave the staple gun off the roof! While it is okay to use the staples to adhere to the eaves of your roof, you do not want to put any staples, nails, or screws directly into your shingles. Once the staple is removed this will leave holes allowing water to penetrate and potentially rot your decking.

2. Plastic Clips are Best!

Investing in plastic clips is best as they are specifically designed for a variety of applications and will not cause damage to your roof. Since there are a variety of clips available you can pick which works best for your project, but ideally you want to get clips that will adhere to your gutters or eaves. 

Here are just a few of the clips that are available

• All-in-One Clips for shingles and gutters 
• Clay tile roof clips
• Eave clips
• Clips for putting lights on the ridge (peak) of your roof

3. Avoid getting on your roof!

It’s always best to leave it to a professional when getting on your roof, to help minimize wear and increase the lifespan of your roof. However, with a few safety protocols, gently walking on your roof once a year to hang lights will not hurt too much as long as you are careful. 

• Be sure to use a strong and sturdy ladder when getting onto your roof
• Walk gently and wear soft shoes like sneakers
• Don’t walk on shingles during the heat of the day or while they are under direct sunlight.
• If you have a tile roof be sure to walk on two peaks to help balance the pressure and do not walk inside the valleys.

 4.Don’t Lift Shingles!

This one might seem like a no-brainer… but you might be surprised to learn that oftentimes even professional Christmas light installers will lift back asphalt shingles in order to run a string of lights underneath. While this practice is considered efficient by companies installing the lights, it can leave your shingles at a disadvantage and not ready to combat the next storm season. 

If you still have questions, wonder if particular decorations could harm your roof, or suspect you may already have roof damage. Be sure to give us a call and a Roofing expert can help address all your concerns. Rhino Roofers offers a free roof inspection for our customers.

Rhino Roofers is here to help you take charge of your next roofing project. With a combined experience of 130+ years in the roofing industry, our team is dedicated to offering a 5-star, white-glove experience that separates us from all the other San Antonio roofing companies.