Keeping your roof at its best
Ah … yes! Spring has arrived, according to the calendar anyway. Sometimes the weather makes us wonder though, right? Regardless, spring cleaning fever has hit and besides cleaning out the closets and flowerbeds, we need to pay attention to the roof maintenance on our homes too.
Yes, every spring, you should have a roof maintenance plan in place right along with all your other spring maintenance duties around the house. You already have a routine of changing the air filters, mowing the lawn, and trimming the hedges because it is instrumental in your home overall health, which roof maintenance is just as instrumental. You can do your own roof maintenance throughout the year, but once a year, professional roof maintenance, inspection, gutter cleaning, and advice are helpful in keeping your home healthy too.
When roof maintenance isn’t performed, small damages and issues will pile up, creating the need for extensive repairs or worse, a total roof replacement. You’re probably asking yourself, “In addition to professional roof maintenance services, how do I keep my roof in good condition?”, and to answer these, we offer the following roof maintenance tips, which you can use as a roof maintenance checklist too:
The Shingles
As homeowner, you should do a frequent walk-a-round your home checking the roof. Pay attention for any dark streaks, loosened, missing shingles, or any appearance of curled shingles. Once a month or so, if you can and are comfortable with climbing a ladder and take a look from different angles around your home.
The Chimneys, Skylights, and Vents
While on the ladder, check around the chimneys, skylights, and vent openings. When the rubber boots or metal flashing become bent, loose, or are rusted, water can intrude into the roof, damaging the decking and more.
The Attic
Check inside the attic a regular basis as part of your roof maintenance. Look for any signs of water stains on the underside of the ceiling, wet insulation, or any type of water damage.
Debris
The next DIY roof maintenance task is cleaning off any debris that has collected on your roof. This includes leaves and twigs. Use a broom or leaf blower to clear these things off, never use a power washer though. A power washer, when used incorrectly, can cause more damage than it helps. Leave power washing off to a professional service when your roof maintenance budget allows it.
The Gutters
While cleaning the debris off the roof, check the gutters and downspouts for debris and roofing granules. These can be cleaned out with a water hose or use a professional gutter cleaning service. When gutters are full of debris like leaves and twigs, they get clogged, and rainwater can’t flow through them and to the downspouts. This puts weight on the fascia and soffit, which can lead to damaging the roof and foundation.
If you notice a lot of roofing granules in the gutters, you should get a professional roofing contractor do a thorough roof inspection. It may be time for a new roof. The roof takes a lot of abuse from the UV rays and weather events. A good quality asphalt roof will give you 20 years of protection, but at 15 years, it is recommended to have a professional roof inspection once a year and keep low hanging tree limbs cut back from your roof too.
The Ventilation
The attic ventilation is key in a healthy roof. Inadequate or inappropriate attic ventilation leads to heat and moisture damage. During your routine roof maintenance check in the attic finds any moisture, that is an indication that the ventilation in your attic isn’t sufficient or working properly. Left along, the winter will see ice dams forming and that leads to roof leaks, in addition to the summer heat making more moisture that weakens the shingles.
Why do gutters need cleaning?
After you’ve read this article, if you’re still not clear on why gutter cleaning as part of your roof maintenance is so important, let’s review. The gutters on your home have the job of collecting rainwater that runs off the roof. That rainwater flows to the downspouts and then out and away from the foundation. What will unclog gutters do to your home?
- Prevents water damage to the fascia, roofing, and soffit.
- Keeps small critters, insects, pests, and rodents from nesting in the gutter runs an clogging them.
- Keeps from causing the foundation from cracking with water pooling up around the foundation.
- Saves you money by not having to replace the roof or get foundation work done.
These routine roof maintenance tips we’ve provided will go a long way to keeping your roof healthy and minimize roof repairs or new roof installation. If you’re not comfortable with doing your own roof maintenance or inspections, hiring a professional roofing service can save you from needing a new roof. Call 513-563-9988 today for roofing maintenance in Cincinnati, OH.