5 Things You Can Do to Maintain Your Roof

There is a lot that comes against roofs from aging to weather and other types of damage. It’s important to make sure that you have a roof company periodically check and make sure everything is okay. Even if you are using impact resistant roofing products, damage can still occur and you should still do the maintenance required in order to make your roof last a long time. If you are unaware of what types of roof maintenance need to be done, let this article enlighten you.

Remove Debris
Branches, leaves and other types of debris can collect up on the roof, especially in the winter. It’s important to get rid of this stuff and not let it accumulate on the roof. This is something you could probably do yourself if you use an extendable ladder and are careful. Make sure that the roof is dry to that it is not slippery. If you don’t feel comfortable getting up the roof yourself then you can call a roof company to take care of it for you. It would be a good idea to set up a schedule and have them come and clear away the debris regularly.

Remove Moss and Mold
If your roof starts to sprout moss or mold, it’s only going to get worse so remove it as soon as you find it. You can do this by spraying a roof moss remover or cleaner onto the specific areas. You’ll need to leave it for awhile so refer to the cleaner’s instructions to find out how long. After the solution has done it’s work, you’ll need to brush away the moss or mold with a broom or hand held brush. Use a soft bristled brush as a hard bristled one can wear away the protective coating on shingles. Again, if you don’t want to get up on the roof yourself, a roof company can add this into their services if you request it.

Check Surrounding Areas
While you’ll need to check the shingles and make sure there aren’t any that are broken or missing, there are also some other areas up there that need to be regularly checked on. These include the chimney, the down spouts, the gutters, any skylights and vent openings. If these are all in good conditions then you will not have problems with any leakages. However, if they are starting to wear down, in the next rain, you will likely spring a leak into your home which will not only damage the inside of your house but can do a serious number on your roof itself.

Do Small Repairs
When you are checking around and see little things that should be taken care of, do it. Don’t procrastinate and wait until it’s a bigger problem. The more responsible route is to call the roof company right then and have them come out and repair the problem. If you take care of issues when they are small then they’ll never grow into huge expensive jobs. The problem is that small repairs never stay small, as they grow they begin affecting the areas around them and you end up with a time consuming, money filled problem instead of the simple, cheap fix that it could have been.

Annual Inspections
If you do all of your checks and cleanings yourself then it’s a good idea to have a professional roof contractor come out at least once a year and give your roof a thorough inspection. They’ll be able to let you know if there is anything that needs immediate attention or if there’s something that you should be keeping an eye on. The best time to have the professionals come out for the annual inspection is after the winter. The winter is particularly hard on the roof so you might as well schedule it for then.

One thing to keep in mind is that if you roof is older than 20 or 30 years, it may be time to replace the entire thing. You can ask the contractor to check to signs of that.

Don’t take your roof for granted. Take care of it and it will take care of you and your home and family for as long as it can.