If you are a human being, you probably appreciate having a roof over your head. Your home’s covering is your greatest source of protection from the elements, and protects the structural integrity of your home. Taking care of it is essential if you want it to take care of you, your family, and your personal belongings. To keep your roof in tip-top shape, you should run through this regular maintenance list at least once a year:
- Do a visual scan for any slumps in the roofing material. If you see any sagging areas, it is an indication of structural damage to the underlying roof frame. This issue should be handled by a professional contractor as soon as the problem is recognized, as the longer it sits, the worst the damage is. If caught early, the roof repair costs will be a fraction of the cost if you ignore the problem.
- Do a gutter inspection. Make sure the gutters are free of any leaves or debris so that rain and snow can drain off of the roof and down the gutter properly, without pooling up and causing leaks or breakage. It’s also important to make sure there are no leaks in your gutters that will cause water to buildup around the foundation of the home, particularly around the seams of the gutters, which are the most prone to leak. A gutter leak can easily be fixed with an inexpensive caulking gun, and save you hundreds to thousands of dollars in repairs.
You also want to make sure the gutters are properly secured to house so they don’t break off in high winds, or cause debris to build up and block precipitation from draining properly.
- Check the crevices of the roof. Check around any valleys and the lowest points of the house, where leaves and debris are prone to end up. Any debris on the roof creates a weight burden, and also blocks water from draining as it should.
- Inspect the metal flashing around any interruption to the roof shingles.The skylights, roof vents, chimneys, and pipes on your roof are your greatest weaknesses for leaks. The metal flashing seals in the edges of anything that creates a gap in your shingles. If the flashing is damaged, you can easily get a leak that can lead to rotting and corrosion inside your home.
- Do a health check of your roof’s shingles. Look for any cracked, curled, or missing shingles that indicate a weakness in the roofing system. If you see any large unusually dark areas in the shingles, it could be a sign that the area is rotting and needs replacement.
- Keep up with the lifespan rating for your particular type of roof. Many times, damage that is sustained to your roof due to accidents or adverse weather conditions is covered by your homeowners insurance. However, for example, if your roof is rated to last for 30 years, and when it is 45-years-old, a tornado blows half of it away, the insurance company can claim that the extent of the damage was a result of your negligence in replacing the roof when it was due.
Do you have any good roof maintenance tips that we didn’t include? Please share them in the comment section below!