How long does a roof last? It can be up to a century, depending on the material — and depending on how you maintain it.
One way to make sure your roof is in its best condition is with a roof inspection. Of course, you can leave this job to the professionals. But it’s not impossible for you to take the job of inspecting a roof upon yourself.
Ready to get started? Here are six roof inspection tips for you to follow to keep yours in place for as long as possible.
1. Start With the Gutters
Gutters are an integral part of maintaining the strength of your roof over time. After all, gutters help clear rainfall, snow, and debris that falls on your roof. If these build up on top of your house, they can cause damage to your roof, requiring a repair or even a replacement.
So, your roof inspection should always start with the gutters. Make sure they are all attached, and that there aren’t any clogs in them, either. You can clean out your gutters yourself, thus allowing them to function to their best ability and keep your roof clean.
2. Check the Flashing
Your roof wouldn’t be complete without flashing. This substance creates a watertight seal around spots like your chimney. Without flashing, water would run through the roof and down into your home, which is exactly what you don’t want.
So, you can’t maintain a solid overhead roof without flashing. You’ll have to climb onto a ladder, but once you’re up there, you can easily inspect the flashing from afar.
If you see cracks or gaps in flashing, then you will need to bring in someone to fix it ASAP. Signs of rust along the flashing can also mean that the material has been compromised. You don’t want this to happpen, as it can cause damage to the structure as well as to the interior of your home, so be sure to note the flashing issues and call in a pro to fix it.
3. Inspect the Shingles
While you’re on your ladder, scan your eyes over your roof and look at all of the shingles. Do you see any shingles that have started to curl at the edges or buckle down the middle? Do any shingles look like they’ve developed fluid-filled blisters on the surface?
These are all important issues to note — and cause to have your shingles repaired and replaced ASAP. Again, a compromised shingle can allow moisture into your home, thus causing damage to its interior and structure. An opening in your roof opens up your home to heat and cold, too, which can be bad news
You should take note of any shingles that have fallen off or broken, too. Again, these cause the same issues described above — and the sooner you have them replaced, the better.
4. Look at the Chimney
While you’re up on the roof, you might as well have a look at your chimney, too. The chimney cap — which sits on top of the chimney to prevent moisture from entering your home — may be damaged. Not only does this prevent precipitation and debris from entering your home, it stops embers and sparks from flying out of your chimney, landing on your roof and causing a fire.
A professional inspection from the likes of https://www.newroofplus.com/ will give you a more in-depth look at the strength of the roof surrounding your chimney. If there are missing or cracked shingles around it, a pro contractor can pinpoint these issues to maintain the quality of your roof for longer.
5. Don’t Ignore Moss and Lichen
Your roof shingles might have some black streaks appear on them over time. This is totally normal — it’s just a cosmetic change, but not a sign that your roof has any issues.
However, your roof inspection process should include a check for moss or lichen growing on your roof. This type of fauna tends to grow on spots that are consistently moist or damp. So, if you have them on your roof, it’s a sign that the shingles may be compromised and gathering moisture beneath them.
6. Check Out the Attic
A good roof inspector will always look at the attic as part of their checklist. You can do the same by looking for signs of rot on the ceiling of your attic. You may also want to inspect the insulation — any weak spots will have your roof getting too hot or cold, which can be detrimental to your roof’s health in wintertime, especially.
If heat escapes from your home and through your roof insulation, it can warm up the roof. And, if the roof’s too warm in the face of freezing precipitation, it can cause ice to form on your roof.
Ice weighs down your roof, which causes shingles to buckle or even pop off. Having water sitting on top of your roof can cause damage to the shingles, as we’ve already learned.
Inspecting a Roof May Require a Pro
These are the steps of inspecting a roof that you can probably do on your own. However, if you want to be sure that your roof is in a good state, then you may want to call in a pro to corroborate your findings. They can fix any issues, too, so that you know your roof will continue to provide protection to you and your family for as long as possible.
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