One of the most important parts of the exterior of your home is the roof. It protects your home from wear and tear. It protects your family as well against harshness of weather.
It also provides insulation to the home. Therefore, you have all the reasons to maintain and take care of your roof. Here are some basic roof maintenance tips.
1. Shingle roof maintenance tips
Shingles should be the first thing that you need to check upon when it comes to roof maintenance tips. You need to look out if there are any missing shingles.
Other than this, curling or cracked shingles must also be checked upon regularly. If any of these signs of damages appear immediately call a roofing contractor to do the required roof repair work.
2. Trim branches and trees
Tall trees surrounding your roof can be a nuisance for the roofing mechanism. Therefore, leaning branches need to be trimmed because they can damage the roof materials.
Especially they get more problematic on windy days and can damage the structure of your house. Hence keep a check of these tall trees and branches and trim them when needed.
3. Check if there are any leakages
Look out for signs of leakages in your home. These signs include a certain kind of musty odor. If you sense any such odor it could help you locate the source of leakage.
Other signs of leakage include stains of water on walls or ceilings and patches on interior walls. If you notice any such thing in the interior of your house you need to check your roof. You can get a roofing expert to get the issue fixed.
4. Wash and clean your roof
It is very important to wash and clean your roof regularly. If you do not wash shingle roof, algae starts to grow on it. This corrodes shingles over time. You can mix bleach with water and wash the roof thoroughly.
Apart from this, clean the debris on roof regularly. Leaves and other rubbish tend to clog the gutter system which is not a good sign.
5. Ensure proper ventilation
Ventilation is very important for proper functioning roofs. Without ventilation, sheathing and rafting can rot due to humidity.
The materials used to make the roof buckle without ventilation. As a result the whole roofing system gets disrupted. Hence ventilation is very important to maintain roofs.
6. Check if there is rust
Those roofs that are made of metal are at the greatest risk of becoming rusty. Such roofs require particularly greater care and cleanliness efforts to avoid any rusting.
You must check out for rusty screws and replace them. Then you can scrub off the rust with a wire brush. This way you can keep your roof rust free.
7. Clean the gutters
Roof maintenance tips shall be incomplete without this job. It might seem gross but it is very important for a well functioning roof to have clean gutter system.
Experts agree that gutter systems need to be cleaned twice a year. You need to clean it in late spring and then at start of fall.
8. Ensure proper insulation
Insulation helps to achieve a desirable level of ventilation and airflow. Smart homeowners have open spaces of at least one inch between insulation and sheathing so that air passes freely.
9. Check out your chimney
Check your chimney regularly for missing mortar or signs of cracks. Such things can damage your roof considerably. A leaning chimney also indicates a problem within the structure of home.
In such a case you need to call a roofing contractor right away and get the issue fixed. If your chimney requires patch up get it done from a professional or if you can do it yourself, nothing like it.
10. Get your roof inspected from a professional
Finally, you cannot afford to let such an important part of your home go unchecked by a professional. A roof specialist will know exactly what things to look for and might come up with points you might have missed in your own inspection. Their knowledge and expertise allows them to predict how many more years the roof will last without the need to be replaced.