Saturday, August 1, 2009

Every Roof Demands Regular Maintenance

By Scott Rodgers

Roof is the most important aspect of your home. It is a safety covering for us. It keeps us and our home safe from the changing climatic conditions. So maintain your roofs well as getting a roof repaired or replacing it can be a troublesome job.

Unfortunately, we often ignore the roofs of the house and remain unaware of the little problems until they turn up into serious issues. So it is very essential to detect the weakening signs of a roof so that they can be repaired in the early stages it self.

You should definitely use binoculars to get the best view of the roof. A ladder can be used for a close inspection if your roof is more flat than slanted but is not necessary in most instances. Checkups should be done every spring and every fall. The sun does more damage than the wind and rain so pay close attention to the sunny side of the house.

Roof leaks are very common along the ridges of the roof where the shingles are folded over. These areas are also prone to cracks. So, make sure to catch them on time and get them repaired to avoid any other problems.

Check the valleys next. Valleys are joints that have a downward slope. Most are covered with a piece of sheet metal called flashing. Make sure there are no holes or rust spots. You may see more flashing around any structures that rise out of the roof like chimneys. Check this for imperfections as well.

Look for any damaged, broken or missing shingles. This can cause the weakening of the interior walls and ceilings as moisture will continuously leak into the house. So be sure to get them fixed as soon as you notice them.

Roof gutters should be periodically checked. Make sure that the water is flowing properly to the down pipe and there is no clogging there. Otherwise this can cause the water to back up can damage the lower shingles. It is very important to keep the gutters clean. Also check for the roof-gutter coating. It should be strong.

Checking the roofs at least twice a year is a must. Identifying these wilting signs at early stages can save a lot of money in future.

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