The roof of a residential home is its first line of defense from wind, rain, fire, hail, ice, snow, and extreme heat. Every day, your roof is exposed to elements that may contribute to its decay and deterioration, increasing the damage to the roof and to the contents and people it protects below it. The safety standards for residential homes require that roofs serve to protect the home. So in order to have a roof that protects the home it starts with the design, materials selected, and installation. This should also include a plan of regular inspections, maintenance, and repairs if needed in order to maximize the life of your roof and to ensure its doing its job in protecting your homes from weather related damage.
RECOGNIZING THE SIGNS OF A ROOF PROBLEM
If it’s been a while since you’ve had your homes roof inspected, your first priority should be to inspect it and identify and fix any major problems. Serious problems may have already become apparent even from inside the building, such as water stains on a ceiling, cracked ceiling or a hole in the roof. The smallest leaks can even become a sign of big trouble. Also if the building has unexplained mold or odors inside, this is an indication that a roof leak has resulted in water penetration. As interior water damage or mold may signal trouble, you must visually inspect the roof itself to look for the leaks because they will worsen over time if not addressed in a timely fashion. Depending on the slope of the roof, inspections sometimes can be done by the building owner; however it always makes more sense to have a residential roofing contractor like Home Improvement Guyz to make sure the job is done safely and correctly.
SOME VISUAL CLUES YOU SHOULD LOOK FOR ON YOUR ROOF
If your homes roof has ponding or standing water on it for prolonged periods of time it can lead to premature aging and deterioration and will eventually lead to roof leaks. The additional water will add additional weight to the roof, which over time can weaken the roof deck. Curling shingles or "fish mouthing" may be indications of moisture within the roof decking, which can also be a clue that the roof has reached the end of the roof systems life span. The presence of ripples or waves across the deck can be the result of mositure or water leaks making it below the layers of the roof system to the decking or moisture that is trapped in the roof system due to poor ventilation. Inadequate ventilation can also incourage mold and mildew growth within the home. Drip edge roof flashing is the strips of metal or other impervious material installed around the perimeter of the roof edge where the roofing shingles meet the eaves. The drip edge flashing is installed on the eaves and comes in 10 foot lengths and most eaves are a mininum of 18 foot in length. So that means it will require to pieces to make that length and should overlap by a minimum ot 2 inches in making that length to prevent any gaps in the flashing around the perimeter will greatly increase the potential for roof drip edge to fail during a high wind event, water intrusion and eventually mold.
PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE AND CARE
Some of the best methods to avoid home roof-related issues entirely are through regular roof inspections and roof preventive maintenance. Proper roof maintenance will also prolong the life of a roof in many ways and will allow for roof repairs instead of a roof replacement to be the end result, when a problem occurs. The frequency of inspections for routine maintenance will in the long run catch any roof problem in the early stages before the roof problem can amplify. For this reason scheduling regular inspections every 6 months (fall and spring) is an effective way to make sure little problems don’t become big problems.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
