As we’re starting the new year right, we all want to maintain health in our lives: physical health, mental health, financial health, job health, healthy relationships, etc.. These things take time to work on and complete the necessary steps, over time, to maintain health in those areas.
But what about your roof? Have you ever considered that your roof also needs to be maintained well to be healthy?
Because it does!
Just as other aspects of life take time and effort to maintain, your home’s roof also requires steps to be taken to maintain its health as well as the health of your home.
Your roof does a lot for you and your home. It protects you and your home from weather, falling debris, animals, bugs, and other outdoor elements. Yet, sometimes we forget about our roof until it’s too late! While your roof can still be repaired once damage has been done (just like your finances, relationships, and physical health can be repaired once things have gone wrong), it’s much easier (and cost-effective) to instead maintain a healthy roof!
Here are our top 5 tips for maintaining a healthy roof, and therefore, a healthy home for you and your family!
Study the Shingles
In order to keep your roof staying strong, it’s important to look up and regularly check your shingles! How often is regularly? At least once every few months, and especially after any heavy storms or high winds.
You also don’t need a ladder to physically go up on your roof, a simple pair of binoculars will do! Here’s what you are looking for:
- Missing shingles
- Cracked shingles
- Curling shingles
- Missing granules
- Peeling flashing
Any of the following signs of damage should be looked at by a professional who is able to truly assess the damage and restore your home back to its healthy condition!
Rinse your Roof
Just because your shingles are physically intact still, doesn’t mean that your roof’s shingles are safe. Over time, a mix of things make your roof start looking dirty—with long, dark streaks flowing across shingles. This is likely moss or algae, and while neither cause imminent damage, leaving them long enough can cause your shingles to rot!
To clear this up, spray your roof with a mix of 50% water and 50% bleach.the bleach will kill the algae fairly quickly. You can also install copper strips just beneath your roof’s peak. That way when it does rain, copper molecules will run down your roof and kill any algae that is trying to comeback.
Guard the Gutter
Roof maintenance would not be complete without cleaning out the gutter to guard it from future damage. While it may not be the most appealing task, it is necessary for maintaining a healthy roof!
Most experts recommend cleaning your gutters at least twice a year—once in late spring and again in early fall. However, it’s also wise to clean them out before a big storm. Otherwise water can get backed up and rot and ruin the fascia of your roof!
To clean them, remove any leaves, twigs, etc. that could be caught in the gutter and cause future backups down the road.
Trim the Trees
While it could be a good idea to trim all the trees in your yard, for a healthy roof, it’s important to trim the trees right next to your house as well as any branches hanging over your roof. The reason being that one strong storm could easily send branches crashing into your roof and doing some serious damage.
Trimming also helps prevent a build up of leaves falling onto your roof and into the gutters. As you notice overgrowth, or before a big storm, it’s a good idea to give those branches a small trim to help maintain a healthy roof and prevent damage to your home.
Inspect Insulation
This area may not actually be on your roof, but it’s an important component of keeping your roof healthy. While you may not notice it, proper insulation and ventilation in your attic can actually keep your roof in healthy condition! Proper insulation prevents ice dams (link to ice blog) from forming and reduces moisture. Both of these things can and will help your roof remain healthy and reduce potential damage in the future.
If you need any assistance repairing a damaged roof or helping to maintenance work after a storm, give us a call!
At Elite Roofing, we pride ourselves on restoring high-end homes and being the leader in insurance restoration work. We aim to be different because we believe the roofing industry overall is corrupt. Our brand is tied to our reputation and we exist to give you a solution with integrity and deliver exceptional services with genuine care. A home is one of the biggest investments you can make – we’re here to protect the home and the homeowner.
For the Elite Experience, call or text (214) 444-5265 and we’ll get the process started!
