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Roof care and maintenance is not easy but it’s one of the key things you need to make sure you do around your house. Here are 8 pro tips to help you.
As a homeowner, you should know how important it is to have a good roof over your head. Besides, your roofing system safeguards you against all kinds of natural elements, including snow, water, ice, animals, bugs, and even falling debris. Because of this, it’s a must to take care of and maintain your roof at all times.
Roof Maintenance 101
No matter what type of roof your property has, you should ensure the right level of maintenance. While there are many reasons why maintaining your roof makes sense, the most important one is to preserve its service lifespan for a long time. However, knowing how to take care of your roof can be an overwhelming process, especially if you have no idea where and how to start.
Thus, if you want to ensure your roof is in good working condition, below are the eight pro tips for care and maintenance:
Undertake Roof Cleaning
As part of your regular maintenance, most roofing professionals would recommend cleaning your roofing system. Since algae, dirt, moss, and other natural elements can accumulate and reduce the lifespan of your roof, it’s best to have it cleaned regularly.
By doing this, you can protect your roof by preventing moisture to be trapped and avoiding damage due to mildew buildup.
Clean The Gutters Properly
Another tip to consider is to clean the gutters properly. By cleaning this particular component of your roofing system twice or thrice a year, you can keep it in good working condition as well as preserve your roof’s life.
Typically, leaves and other debris piling up in the gutters can cause the buildup of moisture, which can extend to the rafters and roof sheathing. So find time to always clean your gutters to keep them working more efficiently.
Conduct a Roof Inspection
When it comes to maintaining and caring for your roof, one of the things you should take seriously is roof inspection. Unless you’re a roofing expert by yourself, you can entrust the whole inspection process to those with trained eyes. Although there are things you can do for your roof, some aspects of maintenance must be handled by the best roofing company in your locale.
In most cases, an experienced and reliable roof inspector has undergone several training and examinations to determine underlying damages. Hence, you should hire an inspector to help you detect any issues needed to be addressed in the fastest time possible.
For example, you should ask the professional to examine the shingles each season to avoid further roofing problems. During hot months, your roof has a higher risk of getting sun damage and during the winter season, it can be susceptible to leaks due to the melting ice and snow.
Remove Overhanging Branches
If you have a big tree hanging over your house, be sure to consider its effect on your roof. While a huge tree can provide your house with a summer shade, it can become dangerous when the winter comes. For example, when the overhanging branches are weighing down due to ice and snow, they’ll crack and slam into your roof.
When this happens, your roofing system will be damaged and won’t be capable of protecting your property against all outside elements. The branches falling can destroy the integrity of your shingles. Thus, if you fail to fix it right away, the snow gets in through the cracks and the buildup of moisture will damage your home’s internal structure.
Due to these circumstances, it can be an excellent idea to prune overhanging branches by hiring a professional tree service company. Doing so can help you maintain and care for your roofing system’s overall condition.
Replace The Caulk Annually
It’s essential to know that your roof has flashings surrounding the chimney and vent pipes to prevent water leaks in your home. This is due to the caulk protecting your roof against water that’s leaking into your property.
Therefore, if you want to make sure your roof’s flashing can do its protective job at all times, don’t forget to examine the caulk and replace it every year for optimum performance. During the inspection, determine if it’s beginning to lift or if some parts are missing. When it happens, just remove your old caulk and use a new one.
Inspect The Attic
The attic can also be a good way to know if your roof is in good shape or if it’s time to repair or replace it. If you can see daylight coming through the boards or you see water stains, make sure to get your attic fixed to avoid further problems. You can do this by installing high-quality insulation to help safeguard the area against water damage.
Also, by inspecting the attic, you can know whether your roof is performing fine even after a storm or any other weather conditions.
Provide Proper Ventilation
It’s also important to ensure your roofing system is properly designed for air to circulate. This means it should have proper ventilation, so the rafting and the sheathing won’t rot due to trapped heat and moisture within the system.
To ensure your roofing materials won’t buckle, you should provide proper ventilation to your roof to avoid a number of issues at your home.
Understand How The Sun Can Affect Your Roof
Too much sunlight exposure or lack of it can adversely affect the condition of your roof. With UV rays shining down on your roofing materials, you should know how all of these things can have an effect on the condition of your roof. If your roof does get a lot of sunlight, it might be worth looking into solar shingles.
Also, lack of sun exposure can increase your roof’s risk of getting algae, lichen, or moss.
Wrapping Up
Your roofing system serves as a protective barrier to your home’s interior. Therefore, if you want to safeguard your family, home, and yourself against natural elements, you should know how to care for and maintain your roof from start to finish.
Fortunately, by keeping these maintenance tips in mind, you can ensure your roof will always be in its best working condition for a long time.
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