March 29, 2024
    Your home's roof is important, so you need to take care of it. This guide explains 7 crucial roof maintenance tips for homeowners.

    7 Crucial Roof Maintenance Tips for Homeowners

    Residential roofs can last anywhere from 25 years to 100 years and beyond. However, if you want to get the most possible use out of them, you need to provide them with regular maintenance. 

    Now, what does roof maintenance entail? Quite a few things, seven of which we’re going to discuss below. Here are seven crucial roof maintenance tips for homeowners. 

    1. Trim Your Trees

    When storms blow through, or when the weather gets cold, tree branches become especially susceptible to breaking. Should they break, and should they fall onto a roof below, they could do substantial amounts of damage, loosening shingles on the roof and maybe even cracking the sheathing below. 

    As such, if you have trees overhanging your roof, you’re advised to trim them up on a regular basis. By trimming your tree branches, you help to maintain their strength, thus reducing the risk of them breaking. You might even be able to trim your branches to the point that they’re no longer positioned over your roof. 

    Need help with tree trimming? Your local tree care service can accommodate you. 

    2. Remove Residue

    As time passes, all sorts of residue can make their way to the surface of your roof. Leaves could fall on top of it; trash could float its way up to it; algae could grow on it as well. 

    The issue with this isn’t just that it’s aesthetically displeasing; it’s that these residues trap water, which can have extremely adverse effects on the long-term health of the roof. 

    See, prolonged water exposure compromises the structural components of roofing material. Asphalt shingles, for example, when exposed to water on a consistent basis, will start to warp and misshape. Once this occurs, they’re unusable, as they no longer provide the protection necessary. 

    For this reason, you need to remove residue from your roof as soon as you possibly can. The longer it lays, the longer water will stay trapped, and the more damage your roof will incur. 

    Need assistance removing residue from your roof? Your local roofing contractors have you covered. 

    3. Clear the Gutters

    Another vital component of roof maintenance is clearing the gutters. This is important, as clogged gutters can cause water to pool on top of the roof. If this happens, the water could make its way down into the roof’s structural components, causing substantial and expensive amounts of damage. 

    At worst, the water could seep down into the home itself, ruining drywall, electrical components, and other such entities. This would require a teardown and renovation of your home, which would put you up in a hotel for a few weeks. In other words, it’s best avoided. 

    Clearing the gutters is fairly easy, at least for most homes. Just grab a ladder, put on some gloves, and start putting the leaves and trash into a garbage bag. It’s as simple as that. 

    4. Replace Lost Shingles

    At some point in time, one of the shingles on your roof is likely to fall off. This can occur due to wind storms, direct physical trauma, and a variety of other reasons. Regardless, it’s a problem that must be rectified as soon as possible. 

    The longer that portion of your roof remains uncovered, the bigger risk your home has of taking on water damage. It might just be a small uncovered area, but, in the right circumstances, it could lead to thousands of dollars worth of repairs. 

    So, the second you notice a shingle missing, call up your local roof maintenance services and schedule an appointment. They’ll replace the missing shingle and your roof will be good to go for the foreseeable future. 

    5. Make Sure Your Attic Is Adequately Insulated

    It’s also important to ensure that your attic is adequately insulated. This is vital, as it allows for sufficient airflow to the roof. This airflow is needed so that the roof has room to breathe; if it doesn’t have room to breathe, it will remain waterlogged and will deteriorate before its time.

    When installing insulation in your attic, you should keep around an inch or two between the edge of the insulation and your roof. This is generally sufficient for inspiring adequate airflow. 

    Not sure how to install or alter insulation? If so, your local roofing company can help you with the task. 

    6. Inspect the Flashing

    Flashing is a strip of metal that bridges the gaps between different planes of a roof. It’s nailed down firmly so as to prevent water from seeping in between these planes. When in good condition, it’s highly effective. 

    Unfortunately, as time passes, flashing can loosen up, leaving small gaps through which water can flow. For this reason, you need to inspect your flashing periodically. 

    This, of course, includes going up on the roof. If you’re comfortable doing this, we advise you to be careful. Slipping and falling from rooftops is not uncommon. 

    If you’re not comfortable doing this, you should just give a call to a local roofing company. They’ll inspect the entirety of your roof for you, ensuring that it’s still getting the job done. 

    7. Keep an Eye Out for Shingle Damage

    Shingles can become damaged for any number of reasons, whether it’s weathering, direct physical trauma, or otherwise. This damage presents itself not only as cracks but as warping as well. Regardless, if the damage is present, it’s leaving your roof vulnerable, and needs to be dealt with swiftly. 

    As such, you need to keep an eye on your shingles, ensuring that they’re still perfectly intact. If they’re not, a call to your local roofing company is warranted. 

    Take Advantage of These Roof Maintenance Tips

    Roofing problems will eventually present themselves when it comes to your roof. However, if you take advantage of these roof maintenance tips, you can keep problems to a minimum, putting off roof replacement for years.

    Searching for similar info? Our website has you covered. Check out some of our other articles now! 

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