The roof is an integral part of the exterior decor to serve functionality and impress visitors or neighbors with its breathtaking visual appeal. You tend to spend heavily on buying the best material and design to reflect your elegance and personality while installing the best roof. The installation stage, repair, and maintenance of these roofs are vital to add life to them and save them from any damage, cracks, leaks, or foundation issues. Roof maintenance tips are essential for the upkeep and durability of roofs.
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No matter how sturdy material is used to build roofs, timely inspection and maintenance is necessary because it can easily save on extensive repairs caused by sheer ignorance and delay in identification of damage signs. Let your roof live its complete cycle. Check out some of the roof maintenance tips to keep your roof healthy.
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The Importance Of Regular Roof Maintenance
Usually, roofs are overlooked despite the fact that they protect houses from snow, storm, and rain. Some of the important roof maintenance tips are:
- Saves from hailstorms, extreme cold and warm weather, and snow
- Holds other structures such as wall and ceiling
- Increases the life span of a roof
- Early detection of damage saves heavy expenditure on roof repair
- Add to the properties value
- Help save energy by maintaining indoor temperature
- Adds curb appeal to the outdoor space
List Of Things To Notice On Your Roof For Early Signs Of Damage
- Loose/missing/lifted shingles
- Indication of moss or mold
- Curling or peeling shingles
- Loose metal roof bolts
- Worn spots
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Roof Maintenance Tips
Gutter Cleaning and roof Maintenance tips
Gutter cleaning is important because debris accumulates in gutters every season. Keeping gutters free from blockages all year round is vital as part of room maintenance. To ensure free water flow down the gutter is vital to avoid all sorts of trouble from basement to ceiling. These easy roof maintenance tips can prevent roof decking rot caused by gutter backup. Seek professional help to clear all the obstructions.
Install gutter screens
Installing gutter covers will minimize the gutter cleaning time. This will save your priceless time and energy.
Thoroughly inspect chimneys and vents
Once the primary roof inspection is done, it’s time to care for other items. Firstly, close the fireplace, clean creosote (that forms over the period on the chimney) from the chimney with a chimney brush, and check for any cracked brick or mortar, missing bricks, or any other damage sign. Seal the chimney with water-repellant products. Check all the vent outlets for any sign of damage. Prevention is always better than cure!
Regulate the impact of sunlight on the roofs
Proper sunlight reduces the chances of moss, mold, and lichen growth on the roofs, but overexposure of roofs to sunlight may result in overheating and loss of protective oils. Seek the help of a roofing expert to understand the balance between over and under-sun exposure. These basic roof maintenance tips will help you maintain the roofs.
Trim branches of tress regularly
Though tree limbs make a beautiful landscape, they can cause severe problems as well, so you must trim them regularly. Loose branches and trim may cause damage to the roof during stormy weather and give easy access to squirrels and critters to invade.
Scrape away snow from the roof
Many of you might have played with snow-it’s a fun-filled activity. But, when it comes to roofs, snow accumulation on the roof is not fun because prolonged snow may cause extreme damage, leading to even roof collapse. Using a snow rake, scrape away as much snow as possible to reduce weight on the roof.
Check on the shingles
No matter how sturdy the roof is, extreme weather can damage it. Shingles may shrink, crack, or even tear off the roof due to extreme weather conditions. Hurricanes and tropical storms damages even the strongest roofing material. Seek professional help to inspect the damaged shingle or to check if the shingles are missing or for any other roof maintenance tips.
Get rid of moss and mold
It spreads with strong wind from one rooftop to another. It is dangerous for the roof and requires immediate treatment if identified. It grows in moisture-prone areas, so if you spot it on the roof, there could be leakage. Curling in the asphalt shingle caused by moss may lead to losing shingles in extreme weather conditions, allowing moisture to pass through to other layers of the roofing system. Mold spoils the structure of the roof, causing severe damage.
Inspect for leaks in the attic and ceiling
Visual inspection of the roof speaks a lot about the roof’s health. But it’s challenging to identify spot leaks. Have a look at the attic during the regular roof maintenance work. If there’s any moisture or sign of water damage, seek professional help to identify and resolve the issue with these roof maintenance tips before it’s too late.
Check for proper insulation
A properly insulated attic and loft help save energy bills and maintain a comfortable indoor temperature. Properly installed roofing insulation can last up to years, balancing the cost. If the attic is not insulated properly, snow and ice stored on the roof will start melting, resulting in water refreezing around the shingles, leading to damage.
Roof inspection at regular intervals
As a homeowner, you can undoubtedly inspect and get basic maintenance work done; however, to examine your roofs thoroughly, you should hire a professional to spot any indication of damage or decay immediately to avoid severe damage in the coming years. Call a professional annually or after severe storms to inspect the roof for a long-lasting tenure.
Clear leaves from the roof
This is an important part of roof maintenance tips because you can keep your property safe from the likely damage and moss, mold, and moisture invasion. Cleaning leaves and debris will also protect the roof from foreseeable structural damage.
Check for proper ventilation
Give your roof breathing space. Install a high-quality insulation system to avoid any moisture-related problems affecting the effectiveness of insulation. Quality roof insulation will keep the roof in a healthy condition.
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Conclusion
Roof maintenance is easy if you know what to prioritize and when to consult the expert. Knowing the basic roof maintenance tips also help you identify the basic sign of damage for early repair. Being connected with a roofing expert is always advisable as they can easily spot the early signs of damage and repair it to avoid sudden heavy expenses. To let your roof live its full lifecycle, a little care and effort is required. Add life to the roof with little regular maintenance.
FAQs
How Can I Improve The Life Of My Roof?
Roof life span can be increased by keeping an eye on the early signs of damage and regular roof maintenance tips. Sparing a little time from your busy schedule and checking for any leakage or moisture, missing shingles, leaves, debris collection on roofs, etc., can add life to roofs. Call a roofing expert once or twice a year to thoroughly check for any decay or damage that you might have missed to notice.
What Is The Best Chemical To Clean A Roof?
- Bleach is probably one of the best and most widely used chemicals to clean a roof faster and more effectively. You can easily keep your roofs clean with proper use of bleach. Most of the pressure cleaning companies in North America use bleach.
- Oxygen bleach is an environment-friendly and safe option for cleaning roof shingles, but it is less effective. It’s advisable to use this if you have a plant directly below the roof line.
What Is The Best Waterproof Sealant For A roof?
Waterproof sealant is crucial to protect the roof from leakage. Some of the sealants are as follows:
- Liquid Rubber’s waterproof sealant
- Patch and seal tape gorilla glue
- Rubberseal’s liquid rubber sealant
- Roof sealant by Henry
- Flex Seal liquid
- Loctite’s roof and flashing sealant
