
Roof Maintenance
Your roof. It protects you, your loved ones and everything inside your home from the elements, shielding you from the coldest of winters and hottest of summers year after year. For this reason, periodic inspection and maintenance of your roof is one of the most important investments you can make when it comes to your home. If you don’t make the time to inspect it and maintain it, the service life of your roof will be greatly reduced or your warranty may become void.
4 Crucial Steps to maintain your Roof
- Clear loose debris Dirt, leaves, sticks, branches and any other loose debris can damage your shingles resulting in leaks or costly repairs. Loose debris should always be swept or blown off. NEVER power wash your roof. Not only can this cause shingles to tear off but water can seep into underlying sheets of plywood causing extreme water damage extending from your ceilings to your walls! Not to mention the risk of mold if that happens! Stay far away from that washer!
- Inspect Roofing shingles keep your home dry and insulated. Examine your roof for missing, raised or loose shingles. Even a single missing shingle, if ignored, will quickly become a whole group of loose shingles before you know it! Also check for moss, mold or algae.
- Don’t forget your gutters! Backed up gutters can cause damage to shingles, shakes or tiles along the edge of your roof, so be sure to clean them out periodically. Pay close attention to the valley were two roof surfaces meet. Trapped debris holds moisture and will eventually cause mold and moisture to begin eating away at your roof material.
- TRIM nearby trees and branches. Branches scraping up against your roof when the wind blows can scratch and gouge your roof. Falling branches can damage your roof by puncturing shingles and other roofing materials. Leaves from overhanging branches can clog your gutters more frequently which can result in water backing up into your attic or living spaces. Make sure to take the time to have your trees trimmed to prevent damage to your roof.
Although all property owners should regularly inspect and maintain their roofs, roof inspection and maintenance should be performed by qualified professionals who utilize safe roofing practices. Roof maintenance should be left to a professional. The US Dept of Labor estimates that close to 100 roofing related deaths are related to falls. As always there is a risk in climbing onto a ladder
PAY LESS NOW OR PAY MORE LATER
The choice is easy. Regular proactive inspection and maintenance of your roof will help you achieve anywhere from 25 to 30 years of service life from your roof. This can easily result in a savings of 50% or more!