When they are properly installed and maintained, most roofs can last for decades with no need for replacement. To ensure the life of your roof is long and to ensure it won’t break down prematurely, the best line of defense is a good maintenance routine that you follow year after year. At Stay Dry Roofing, we are committed to helping all of our customers with any and all roofing needs they may have! The following roof maintenance tips, brought to you by our team of local roofing experts, can help you get the most out of your roof:
Inspect the roof.
It is important to check your roof on a regular basis, and especially after any storms or bad weather, to look for signs of damage. Look for signs of damage from wind, hail, and debris and signs of missing shingles and damaged roof surface areas. You can do a general inspection from the ground but the best inspections are done on the roof itself and this needs to be done at least once a year.
Clean moss and mold.
Another one of the good roof maintenance tips we suggest to all of our customers is to look for moss and mold and to call in our local roofing experts to help them with removal. Moss and mold can end up causing a great deal of damage to your roof, so the surface of the roof needs to be kept clean as much as possible. We do not recommend homeowners try to clean mold and moss on their own due to safety concerns but also because common homeowner methods usually end up damaging the roof even more.
Gutters and downspouts.
Gutters are an important part of your roofing system and should be cleaned every 6 to 12 months. This also includes the downspouts, exit spouts and the areas around the downspouts so you can ensure water does not get backed up and flood the roof. This is one of the most overlooked roof maintenance tips and can lead to a lot of roof damage when not followed and maintained correctly!
Mind the trees.
As local roofing experts, we see many homes damaged by limbs and trees, and sadly many of these damaged homes could have been spared just by watching the trees! Tree limbs hanging over the home are a disaster waiting to happen and make cleaning the roof much more difficult; also, branches and limbs that rub against the home can damage the roofing structures such as the shingles, awning, gutters, and soffits.
Fix flashing and sealants.
The thin flexible metal and plastic strips that line the peaks and valleys of the roof need to be inspected to ensure they are not loose, cracked, or peeling back. The same needs to be done for caulking to ensure it not warping and pulling away and allowing cracks to forms. Flashing and sealants keep water out so you want to ensure they remain in good shape.
With these roof maintenance tips in hand, you can begin planning your own maintenance scheduled for your home’s roofing system. If you want a helping hand or have questions, let the local roofing experts at Stay Dry Roofing come to the rescue and help you with all of your roof maintenance or roof replacement needs!