Your roof is an important part of maintaining the value and aesthetics of your property. A poorly maintained roof can lead to peeling and loose shingles, improper roof drainage with eroded soil and ruined landscaping, and debris on your roof edge with sagging gutters. But when you take care of your roof, there are many other areas that will keep their quality and appearance. Here are some recommendations about taking the best care of your home's roof for long-lasting protection to its interior.
Maintain Your Roof Drainage
The gutters installed on the edges of your roof are there to collect and divert water out and away from your home's foundation. But when they get cluttered with leaves, twigs, and other wind-blown debris, they will get clogged. This, in turn, causes water to collect within them and not flow downward. Water can actually pond at the edges of your roof and seep upward into your roof's sheathing and underlayers, causing moisture problems.
Be sure you clean out your gutters a couple of times each year: more often if you have many trees in your yard. Use a pressurized water spray to clean out the gutters, or you can hire a professional gutter service or your roofer to complete this task and keep your home waterproof.
Watch For Roof Debris
Debris can fall upon your roof in addition to collect inside your gutters. And when you have any trees that overhang your roof or are set nearby your home, they can put a large amount of debris onto your roof. The problem with debris and leaves on your roof is it holds in moisture and essentially begins to rot on your roof, rotting your shingles in the process.
Be sure to clear debris off your roof, whether it is settled in any valleys or around dormers of your roof. If you can clean the leaves off before they become wet, you can use a leaf blower: otherwise, you will need to spray them off with your garden sprayer nozzle. You can also contact your roofing professional to do this task to keep your roof fully protected.
Check and Maintain Your Chimney
If your home has a chimney upon your roof, the edges of the chimney and its flashing need to be kept watertight to keep rainwater from seeping into your home. And the chimney mortar should be inspected for any cracking or gaps that can occur with age and the house settling. Your roofing professional can inspect around your chimney if you notice any cracking that has occurred.
For further tips on roof maintenance, reach out to a local roofer that offers services such as roof waterproofing.
