Your roof is one of the most important features of your home. A healthy roof protects your family from the elements, insulates your home, helps you save on energy costs, and enhances curb appeal. With so many important roles, homeowners should take extra special care to maintain this structure. Any damage should be immediately repaired to prevent additional issues in the future and make your roof last longer.
At the sign of trouble, you should act right away to keep tiny problems from becoming bigger, more costly issues.
If your roof is over 10 years old and you notice that your shingles appear to be severely damaged, you are due for a roof replacement. To get the best performance out of your roof, here are our top five ways to make your roof last longer:
Conduct a General Inspection
Your roof can last for decades, but you need to inspect the structure regularly. This will ensure that everything is in working order and catch potential hazards early on. General inspections are especially important to have done before the winter season when snow and ice can cause water to seep through into
Check for areas with cracks and look out for rust around the metallic materials on your roofing structure. Do not forget to also check your flashing and ensure it is still in good shape. Inspections give you information about the health of your roof and allow you to catch damage that would otherwise go unnoticed.
Clear Debris from Your Gutters
It is not a good idea to put cleaning your gutters on the backburner. So when you’re ready to complete this chore, be sure to do it from the safety of a ladder and not from the top of the roof. You can safely attach your buckets and tools using wire hooks so that you aren’t struggling while removing debris.
If you notice that your downspout system is not draining properly, you likely have a clog that needs to be cleared. You can check the drain and remove the pipe to clear out the blockage.
Get Your Gutters Repaired
If you flush out your gutters but notice that water still isn’t flowing freely through the system, your gutter is broken and should be repaired. Sometimes the fix is as simple as replacing missing hooks that keep your gutter from sloping properly. Broken gutters can cause water to back up and overflow. Eventually, this could lead to major water damage issues for your roof and your home’s interior.
Trim Overhanging Branches
Overhanging branches can cause bigger problems than most people realize. Besides making it easy for wildlife to travel across and access your home, overhanging branches can also damage the integrity of your roof.
You should be cautious when trimming tree branches, particularly if the branches are larger. The best, and quite frankly the safest approach, is to cut the branches into smaller pieces. This will make removal a breeze and keep you from further damaging the roof.
If you don’t feel comfortable performing the work yourself, you should hire a professional tree service company to handle the job.
Prevent Ice Dams
When large, heavy ice accumulates on your roof in the winter, it can cause damage both to the interior and exterior of your home. The ice and snow can also damage your gutters and downspout system if not cleared away routinely.
To manage ice dams, you should break up the existing chunks of ice, while being cautious of using tools that could damage the shingles. You can then melt the ice using calcium chloride, which unlike rock salt, is safe for your roofing materials underneath.
For top-quality roof replacement in Kansas City, contact Smart Exteriors today!
