Roof Education
Maintaining your roof is essential to ensure a prolonged lifetime. By regularly maintaining your roof you cut back on the need for repairs or even having to replace it sooner than expected.
Keeping a roof maintained can be done by following five simple steps. This article will show you how to keep your roof looking like new, and lasting for years to come.
1. Clean your roof
2. Trim back trees
3. Keep your gutters clean
4. Ensure proper ventilation
5. Get a roof tune-up
The best way to maintain anything in your home is by keeping it clean of debris. Roofs especially need to be kept clean to avoid damage over time. There are many things that can dirty your roof, let’s see what they are and how to clean them.
Moss
We’ve all seen a roof covered in moss, but why? Well, it’s actually quite simple, moss loves shade. Shaded areas are the perfect environment for moss to grow since it allows water to be absorbed by the leaves rather than the roof. But how did the moss even get there in the first place?
Spores that travel in the wind can find their way onto the roof. These small little seeds can even be carried by birds and squirrels as well! Once these spores make their way onto the roof they stick themselves in the tiny spaces of your shingles or other crevices on the roof. Once there settled into these small spaces they’re able to accumulate the moisture needed to take over your roof.
Thankfully it’s not difficult to get rid of these spongy pests! Moss can be removed by simply spraying it off the roof and using a bristle brush to finish. It’s important not to brush too hard or you risk damaging the shingles! Moss remover is easy to come by, simply check your local home improvement stores to get that roof moss free and healthy.
Mold
Not only does it sound gross but it’s no good for it to be present on a roof. But what does mold even look like? Roof mold can look like your shingles have dirt covering them. They’re often streaky in nature and usually are brown, black, green or even white. Along with mold usually comes an algae problem as well. Mold can even grow on a metal roof, so it’s important to keep an eye out.
Why do roofs get moldy? Well, it is similar in nature to how roofs can grow moss, an abundance of moisture. Mold will often appear in roofs that are keeping water or don’t dry well following a rainstorm. The best way to remedy this problem is to mix water and bleach and spray your roof with the mixture. You can also find mold remover in home improvement stores. Be sure to rinse your roof well after application though!
Debris
Debris is another roof-endangering factor to be on the lookout for. Debris is most commonly tree branches and leaves that have fallen onto your roof. Having debris sit on your roof for an extended period of time can lead to damage coming to your roof.
Seeing piles of leaves collecting in the crevices and corners of roofs is a common sight to see, especially during fall when leaves are falling. A pile of leaves left unattended will collect water and it on your roof. Removing any leaf debris is important to prevent water damage to your roof.
Branches can cause damage to your roof as well. If a large branch falls onto the roof it is very important to remove it. A large branch can easily damage shingles and metal roofing too.
A good way to prevent serious damage from falling branches is to trim nearby trees. Let’s discuss that next.
Keeping your nearby trees trimmed can help mantain the lifetime of your roof in many ways. Trimming branches that are providing too
much shade to your roof prevents the growth of mold and moss by having more sunlight on the roof. Remeber, moss and mold thrive
in shaded areas!
Debris is less frequent with well-trimmed branches too. Removing a branch hanging directly over your roof means fewer leaves piling up, which means water can’t accumulate and damage your roof. Not to mention, trimming an overhanging branch means it won’t have a chance to crash on your roof during a storm. A bigger branch just means a bigger repair bill you don’t need.
Trimming trees doesn’t just help your roof, it helps gutters too! But what do gutters have to do with keeping that roof looking and feeling like new? Lets find out!
Gutters are usually something that comes to mind when discussing roof care. Visually clean gutters make your roof look new, but how can they make it feel new? Let’s discuss what the gutter’s purpose is first.
We all know gutters make our lives easier when it comes to rainstorms. Rainwater flows down the shingles, off the drip edge, into the gutters, and away from the house. Without gutters, it would be like a waterfall cascading off your roof. Pretty simple right? But what does this have to do with roofing?
It’s actually the same reason you want piles of leaves removed from the roof as well: water pooling. An unmaintained gutter, however, can be much more problematic. When a gutter overflows rainwater climbs back up your roof, and underneath the shingles, and finally into the underlayment of your roof.
Lack of gutter maintenance can cause numerous problems and damage to both your roof and your home. The overflow of water can cause water damage to both the exterior and interior of your home. If that water damages the roof decking it can cause the wood of the decking to rot. Rotted wood decking causes waves to appear on your roof.
What is proper ventilation when it comes to roofing? First, let’s think about common things that happen in your home. We cook, take showers, do laundry and keep our house warm on an almost everyday basis. But what do these things have in common? These tasks all produce moisture. Moisture in your home travels up into the attic or ceilings of your home, and without ventilation, this can be problematic.
When the warm air of your home meets the cooler air under your roof it will create condensation, like your mirror after a hot shower. As we’ve learned in the previous steps, water and moisture don’t mix well with roofs. Moisture can cause mold growth in your roof’s decking which, as we discussed with gutters maintenance, can cause waves. The presence of moisture goes beyond decking damage and can even damage the rafters of your roof.
If your roof has no ventilation the temperatures in the attic will rise, which can cause serious damage. Extreme heat will damage not just your decking, but even the underlayment and the frame itself. The lifespan of a roof can decrease by 10% when not properly ventilated.
No one likes a surprise leak in their ceiling, or finding out their decking is rotting. The best way to make sure your roof is in top shape is to get it checked consistently. Think of it like getting a check-up at the doctor’s office. You’re not sick, but it never hurts to get checked, right? Roofs are no different!
A roof should be tuned every 3-5 years, this will keep your roof looking great for years to come. But what does a tune-up entail? The simple answer is just about everything!
The caulking on the counter flashing and exposed nails will be checked and if needed, fixed. Your roofer will also pull up any nail pops and reset them. Your pipe boots? Those will be repaired and replaced if needed. That ventilation we mentioned earlier, gets checked too!
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