7 Maintenance Tips to Keep Your Roof in Good Condition

It’s crazy to imagine how little attention many homeowners pay to their roofs.

A roof is often a major investment, and replacing a roof can be a financially tasking and time-consuming process.

So why not take a few wise steps to prolong the life of your roof by ensuring proper maintenance?

1. Biannual Visual Inspection

This is an easy one because you don’t even have to climb on the roof.

Twice a year, at the beginning of every spring and fall, make a point of looking up, from the ground, and performing a visual inspection of the roof.

What would you be looking for?

Lifted or missing shingles, broken or sagging gutters, piles of granules, missing or exposed fasteners, loose or buckling flashing, and damaged drip edge.

If anything seems off, make a point of fixing it immediately.

Even a single missing shingle leaves the rest of the shingles vulnerable therefore compromising your entire roof. This is why it’s crucial to capture the problem early enough and make the necessary repairs.

2. Clean Your Gutters

Leaves and other debris could clog your gutter system. When this happens, the clogged gutters could result in water backing up in your attic, basement, garage or behind the fascia boards.

You wouldn’t want any of that, now would you?

As a preventative measure, make sure you have your gutters cleaned regularly and more so right before a big storm.

According to Round Rock roofing company, the best way to go about this is to call in an expert who will do a thorough job.

While cleaning the gutters, also be on the lookout for any sagging or damaged drain components that can interfere with the free flow of your drainage system.

3. Clean the Roof

Besides the gutters, you should clean the roof surface as well.

The best way to go about this would be by sweeping with a soft-bristled broom or blowing off excess debris on the roof.

Caution against using a hard-bristled brush or a power washer because these can loosen the granules on the shingles, thereby leaving the shingles vulnerable to harmful UV rays.

4. Trim Troublesome Trees

Trees are great to have around a home, but they can be quite a nuisance as well. The trees you should pay attention to in this case are those which have branches leaving over your roof.

If they come too close, such branches can scratch and gouge the surface of your roofing material, thereby compromising its integrity.

Also, if the tree is shedding too many leaves, then they will all end up in your gutters, clogging your drainage system and potentially rotting your fascia boards.

Besides, all it takes is one good storm to have a tree’s branches crashing into your roof, which is very likely to happen if the branches are too close to your roof.

The solution is simple: trim any overhanging tree limbs.

5. Be on The Lookout for Moss and Algae

Moss and algae would not only make your roof look unsightly, but they would also impact the quality of the roof.

One way to quickly identify the development of moss and algae is by paying attention to the color of the roof.

The part of the roof that’s exposed to shade for most parts of the year will tend to develop streaks of mold and other fungi. If left unchecked, moss ad algae could go on to deteriorate the roofing material, thereby shortening your roof’s lifespan.

To deal with this, you have the option of installing zinc strips along the ridge of the roof. These strips would help eliminate the problem entirely.

Another option would be simply keeping the attic properly ventilated, and removing any debris from the roof.

6. Check the Insulation

When your attic is properly insulated and ventilated, then it follows that your roof shall remain in good condition as well.

How this works is that a well-insulated attic will prevent ice dams from forming on the roof and so there will be reduced moisture on the roof’s surface.

The attic should be insulated to the recommended levels, and while inspecting this, pay attention to the attic door as well.

Replace any insulation that’s broken down and check your soffits and intake vents to ensure they aren’t blocked.

The rule of thumb here is that the temperature in the attic should never go beyond 20° warmer than it is outside.

7. Inspect the Flashing

The integrity of your roof heavily relies on the roof flashing, seeing as this component is responsible for sealing off bends and cracks on the roof, ensuring water doesn’t seep through.

Therefore, imperfections in the flashing should be repaired as soon as possible to prevent leaks.

At times, you may find that low-grade caulking was used during the installation of the roof. If this is the case, the flashing may no longer hold their seal, and so it would be necessary to re-caulk.

In this case, start by removing all the old caulk, then scrub the area clean, then finally finish off by resealing it.

When inspecting the flashing, make sure no new gaps have formed and also look out for rusted metal.

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