With Spring around the corner, let's take a moment to discuss the preventative Spring roof maintenance needed for your roof and gutters. Ensuring that you're consistently maintaining your roofing system can save you thousands of dollars. Routing inspections and timely cleaning done by professionals is essential, especially at the end of a rough season. Do not wait for your roof or gutters to suffer serious damage, make sure you're proactive. Every roofing system, regardless of the roofing materials, needs to be prepared for new seasons.
Let's go over 5 simple and effective Spring roof maintenance tips to make sure you're prepared for the upcoming season.
- Start with a thorough inspection of the roof and gutters. You need to ensure that nothing is stuck in the gutters, or sitting on your roof. There are plenty of companies that can clean everything professionally if you don't feel comfortable doing so yourself. When these are getting cleaned, make sure the downspouts and eavestroughs are also cleaned thoroughly. This will prepare your roof for spring showers.
- Inspect your shingles and gutters for physical damage. You may find a few missing or damaged shingles. These will need to be assessed for replacement and any unseen damages. Making sure your gutters aren't damaged is important as well, if your gutters are damaged the waterflow during storms won't be directed away from your home which could lead to more serious damage. If your roof is not too old, normal signs of aging are not a concern. Curled and loose shingles should also be replaced. The sooner any of these issues are addressed, the better.
- While we're inspecting, make sure you also note your roof flashing and any skylights. Damaged flashing or cracked caulking should be attended to. If the flashing is damaged extensively or you see substantial rust, it may be time to replace the entire flashing. Fragile flashing will leave your roof vulnerable to water damage. Don't delay replacement.
- Once you've inspected the condition of your roof, flashing, and gutters, move on to the fascia and soffit. The fascia and soffit may not seem to be as significant as the roof itself or the gutters, but they serve a crucial function. They need to be in impeccable condition for your roof to be strong and durable. You should always ensure that the fascia and soffit don't have any holes, soft spots, or visible damage. Depending on the extent of the damage, they'll need to be repaired or replaced.
- Finally, look for signs of water damage. Roofs are vulnerable to ice dams during the winter. Some of the damages may be visible and other times they could be difficult to spot. This is why having a professional inspect your roof once or twice a year is incredibly important. It's possible you wouldn't find any concerning signs but the substrate layer of the roof or the roofing deck may have significant damage. Ice dams can lead to rotting of the underlayment, it can also damage the insulation. Any of these issues can cause potential leaks that would cause havoc during rain.
If you see any signs that your roof should be looked at by professionals, call us to set up a free drone inspection.