Tips to Maintain Your Roof
The average shingle roof lasts around 20-25 years, more or less depending on damage and wear and tear. Other roofing materials can last longer, but they are also more expensive to install.
The extent and level of care you give your roof can reduce or extend the time between roof replacements. If you are lucky, you could end up only having to replace your roof once in your lifetime, as long as you give it the attention it needs.
Roof replacement is expensive no matter the type of roof you have. You’re much better off in the long run doing maintenance and small repairs as they arise in order to help lengthen the lifetime of your home’s roof.
If you are not confident in your roofing abilities – or just don’t like the thought of climbing a tall ladder – you can hire a licensed, certified roofer to help you with all your maintenance and repair projects.
PREVENTATIVE ROOF CARE
Doing tasks to prevent most roof damage before it happens is by far the most affordable way to extend the lifetime of your home’s roof. Here are some preventative care ideas for your home’s roof:
Cut branches that hang over your roof. Powerful winds and rain can break branches and even push over trees. Decaying, dying trees will also drop their heavy branches onto your roof if they are not routinely pruned. Falling limbs destroy all types of roofs, including asphalt shingles and even metal roofs.
Install gutter guards. Gutter guards are metal or mesh covers installed on top of your gutters to prevent clogging. They can limit the amount of gutter cleaning that you have to do and help prevent rain flowing into your landscaping. You can install gutter guards yourself or leave the work to a roofer or gutter cleaning service.
Schedule regular inspections. Shingles begin to lose asphalt granules after only a few years, and metal roofs will be dented or begin to show signs of aging such as rust or tarnish. Having inspections done by a company will let you know if there’s an issue that should be resolved.
Apply a roof coating. Roof coatings renew the oils from shingles so they don’t dry out, making your roof last 5 years or more beyond its expected lifetime. There are regular and plant-based options so you can feel safe about applying these products on your home, where they will inevitably run off and possibly be in contact with your children, pets and landscaping.
Make sure your insulation and ventilation systems are in prime condition. Too much or too little insulation can create a condensation problem. Limited ventilation will cause trapped moisture. This can quickly result in mold and mildew growth, as well as musty odors inside of your home. Besides being a nuisance, mold and mildew will eat away at wood and other home materials, weakening your home’s structure.
ROUTINE ROOF MAINTENANCE
Here and there, you’ll have to do some general maintenance on your home’s roof. If this is done in a timely manner, you’ll help prevent leaks and extend the lifetime of your roof, regardless of the type.
Do these chores at least once a year to prevent damages and keep your home’s roof looking good:
Roof cleaning. Cleaning a roof will remove debris, mold and dirt. This will limit the risk of pests and rodents building nests on your home’s roof, and it will immediately freshen up the appearance of your home. Greenville Pressure Washing offers roof cleaning in Greenville as one of our services.
Gutter cleaning. Cleaning out the gutters is a necessary part of home ownership. Inspect your gutters regularly, especially if it’s raining, to see if there are clogs that should be cleared. Most companies recommend gutter cleaning once in the spring months and again in the fall season.
Remove moss. If moss starts growing, it likely means that your roof is shaded and stays relatively moist. Moss’s roots will attach to shingles and other materials and damage them if it isn’t removed fast enough. Most homeowners decide to have a professional service do this so no unnecessary damage is done in the process.
MINOR ROOF REPAIRS
Damages will happen, but as long as you tend to them right away, no major issues should occur. If you are a handyman, you may feel confident enough doing small repairs yourself. But if not, professional roofers are trained to complete these fast fixes for you to keep your roof in good shape.
Replace damaged or worn shingles. Shingles have asphalt bits attached to them. The texture can be knocked off the shingles by debris, hail or strong rain. These asphalt chunks help to protect your home’s roof. If they start to come off, the roof will look worn, but, more importantly, it won’t protect what’s below. Only a small section needs to be re-shingled if the damage is only superficial.
Replace fascia. Occasionally, the section of your home’s roof that rests between the roof material and the top of the exterior wall (called the fascia) will also need to be replaced. The fascia can leak, letting mold and mildew into your home, let alone pests.
Re-caulk around the flashings. Flashings fill in gaps on the roof where it is hard to place roofing material. It’s the most common location for leaks on a roof, and it is easily damaged. If more complicated work is needed, replacing the flashing is also an easy task for roofers and proficient homeowners as well.
YOUR ROOF NEEDS LOVE TOO!
The roof is typically the most expensive home maintenance costs. With the typical lifetime of a roof being between 20 and 30 years, you will probably only have to replace it once or twice. Of course, if you move several times, you could end up replacing a lot of roofs during your lifetime.
When purchasing a new home, a roof inspection is definitely worth your time. You can also include the cost of a new roof – if necessary – in the closing costs or request that the home seller has the roof replaced prior to the sale. When trying to sell a home, give Greenville Pressure Washing a call for professional roof cleaning in Greenville to improve curb appeal for interested buyers.