You may not think about your roof until there is a problem, but regular maintenance can help prolong the life of your roof and keep your home safe and protected. Here are 10 tips for repairing and maintaining your roof by calling the professional roofing company from Plainfield. Keep these in mind and you’ll be able to avoid costly repairs down the road.
1. Maintain Clearance
Be sure you allow at least three feet of space between your roof and any structures, like the chimney or skylight. Any closer than that can damage both structures. If your home has gutters, be sure they are far enough away to keep water from pushing them up toward your roof.
2. Keep the Gutters Clear
Clogged gutters can cause water damage to your roof and walls by allowing moisture to get in behind the brick or siding of your home. It’s a good idea to install an overflow drainage pipe at the very lowest point of your roof so any excess water drains away from the structure itself. If you do need to clear out clogs, use caution when doing so and only use a small stick or twig and not anything that could puncture holes into the gutter or downspout.
The roofing team at our company has been in the Adelaide roof cleaning business for more than 10 years.
3. Use Caution When Climbing
To avoid damaging your roof, always be sure you’re using safe footing when up on a ladder for repairs. For instance, you never want to stand on a portion of your roof that is covered with moss or moldy growth, as this can damage the integrity of the shingles. You also don’t want to use ladders that are too high for your reach and only need to stand about eight feet up for smaller repairs such as missing shingles.
4. Watch Out for Moss Growth
Moss growing on your roof isn’t typically a problem in itself but it’s usually a sign there’s some underlying moisture problem present beneath the surface. Any kind of moss should be scraped off immediately and you may want to consider adding an asphalt emulsion sealant to keep any further moss from forming and damaging your roof down the road. You also should avoid using bleach when treating moss growth, as this can damage the roof if you’re not careful.
5. Stay Away from Old Tar
If your home was built before 1991, stay away from any kind of “old tar” materials when repairing or replacing your shingles. This type of material actually contains asbestos and may lead to serious health problems down the road if it becomes airborne during repairs. Instead, always use asphalt-based products in older homes with any asphalt shingles.
6. Inspect Your Roof Regularly
The best way to avoid future roof repair is by keeping a close watch on your roof each month for signs of damage or leakage coming into your attic space below. If you notice anything unusual, then consult with a professional contractor. They’ll be able to inspect the roof and provide an accurate estimate of what repairs will cost.
7. Watch for Indications of Water Damage
Anytime you’re up on your roof, take a good look around and check for any indications that water damage is present or has occurred in some way. You may see buckling shingles, for instance, or black mold growing between shingles. Any signs of water damage should be dealt with as soon as possible before the problem gets worse and ruins other sections of your roof’s structure. For situations such as these, you should contact a water damage restoration company.
8. Install a Roof Vent
Roof vents can prevent any moisture from building up within the attic during hot summer months when your air conditioner is stuck in full-blast mode. When you have adequate ventilation in place, though, this will help to cool down the roof overall and minimize potential heat related damage that can pop up along asphalt shingles over time. If you happen to have mold problems in your attic due to a lack of roof vent, then it’s best to consult a professional from companies such as attic mold removal seattle to help you address the problem.
9. Check Your Flashings
Flashings are designed to keep out water and direct it well away from the side walls your home where wood framing is present. Anytime you are repairing or removing shingles, check for areas where your flashings have moved out of position and become loose. If any are found, then secure them back into place to keep water from leaking into vulnerable areas along your roof’s side walls again.
10. Never Use a Match
If you ever drop a match or lighter up on your roof and it starts a small fire, don’t jump to put the flames out yourself if it spreads quickly out of control. Simply call 911 and let local firefighters do their job to fully extinguish any potential damage that could threaten other sections of your home later on if left unchecked.
11. Inspect for Water Leaks
If you’re up on your roof and notice any stains or water spots coming from areas of your home, then you should quickly get down to investigate these areas below. You may be looking at a serious roof leak that will require professional intervention ASAP before it gets out of control and leads to massive water damage in the attic and interior rooms of your home.
12. Never Rush When Working High Up On Your Roof
When repairing shingles, replacing broken tiles or checking vents, make sure to take your time while working high up on a ladder or on slippery shingle surfaces. There’s no reason to rush through things and possibly injure yourself along the way when repairs don’t need to be done immediately right away.
13. Clean Your Gutters At least Twice a Year
One of the best things that you can do to protect your roof from damage is by regularly cleaning out any debris that builds up in gutters and downspouts at least twice a year. This will ensure that water drains properly away from the house and won’t cause any problems if it gets backed up for any reason.
14. Be Careful When Handling Older Materials
It’s okay to check older shingles, flashings or materials along with your roof for signs of damage or leaks anytime you’re engaged in replacement work around your home, but remember not to handle them too much as this could damage their integrity over time due to age. If you can, always use a stick or other tool to move things and keep your hands off the surfaces as much as possible.
15. Let Your Roofing Contractor Handle Repairs Periodically
Inspect your roof for potential issues and spot repairs that may need to be made before they become problematic and more expensive than you can afford along the way. If you’re unsure about how to handle anything up there that needs attention, then just let your roofer know ahead of time what you’ve found so that he or she can inspect it during their next visit and provide an accurate estimate of repair costs.
