Natural calamities might require you to replace your roof right away, but the cases of roof replacement are due to lack of maintenance that leads to major roof damages. Maintaining your roof is one of the essential tasks of a homeowner to keep one’s home in good shape. Before calling reputable commercial roofing companies to handle your roofing concerns, you should know when you should ask for professional help in maintaining your roof.
The following are the most basic tasks you can accomplish to properly maintain your roof and make it last longer:
Inspect from the ground
Biannually, preferably spring and fall, conduct an inspection to check the usual problem areas such as shingles, drip edge, flashing, fasteners, gutters, or granules. More frequently, check the shingles that could be missing, curling, or cracked. Upon checking, fix minor damages right away. Peeling flashing and missing granules should also be part of the inspection. Low-grade caulking can’t make flashings hold their seal. Re-caulk to cover such an installation flaw if necessary.
Clean the gutters
Water backup can rot the fascia, so remove the leaves, and clean up the gutters a few times within a year, especially before a storm. When you have a wet basement or ruined paint on siding, your problem is clogged gutters. It could also result in upward overflow that can rot roof sheathing and rafters.
Trim the trees
Branches can crash into your roof during bad weather, so trim overhanging branches. They can also scratch and gouge the roof. Removing them can help avoid punctured and damaged shingles. Trimming the trees can also lessen the debris on your roof. It will prevent leaves from piling up in roof valleys or near the chimneys. When piles of leaves are not removed, they accumulate moisture and rot slowly, allowing the growth of weeds.
Sweep off the moss
Moss traps water when they grow on your roof, composition shingles, or on wood. You can sweep them off easily when they have just begun growing. However, moss build-up would need washing with products containing potassium salts of fatty acids. Moss can make the roof moist and rot.
Prevent ice dams
Ice dams form when you fail to remove snow build up on the roof after a storm. This can lead to leaks on your roof. Use a roof rake to dislodge snow build-up, but if ice has already formed, don’t try to remove it since it could damage the roof. That is why the earlier you take care of accumulated snow on your roof, the fewer problems you’ll have. You can also prevent ice dams from forming and reduce moisture by ensuring proper ventilation in your attic. This can keep your roof in good condition.
Get a professional roof inspection
If you were not able to conduct proper inspection previously and you worry that you might miss serious roofing concerns, you can always ask for professional help. A professional roof inspection can provide a general checkup of all possible roofing problems. Afterwards, you can proceed with the regular personal inspection and maintenance to fix roofing problems even before they get worse.
These are just some of the ways you can maintain your roof. Spend less on roof replacements by conducting general inspections and seeking the help of experts in roofing maintenance.
