The roof is an essential part of any home. Even if you ignore the fact that it needs to be replaced or repaired, you’ll need to face it once you plan to sell your property or when some problems start to crop up.
If you don’t want to pay an expensive cost for your roofing problems, never let your roof be ignored, and make sure to consider the following roof maintenance tips:
Image by Mario Ohibsky
- Treat For Algae, Lichen, And Moss Annually
Allowing lichen, algae, and moss to grow on your roof may result in extensive damage and an unsightly appearance. It often happens during warmer months in your roof’s shady areas. You can quickly remove such growths by getting your roof cleaned by professionals.
Once your roof is dry and clean, you can apply some preventative products that contain copper and zinc that will keep the moss, algae, and lichen from growing back. Once you implement this tip for your roofing Mississauga, if you live in the area, every year, make sure to hire reliable roofing services to prohibit the growth of all substances on your roof shingles.
- Clean Your Gutters
Homeowners are aware of this chore, which pops up on the roofing checklist. Cleaning gutters several times a year won’t only keep your gutter system in good condition, but it’ll also prolong your roof’s life and prevent any possible roof damage. Once leaves pile up in the roof gutters, they may cradle moisture, and even wick upwards into roof rafters and sheathing.
- Caulk Your Flashings
Flashings are the metal strips, typically lead, aluminum, or galvanized metal, which run along the roof joints or edges. Flashing is crucial to keep water or divert water out of the tricky areas that shingles can’t cover, including roof penetrations where kitchen and bathroom vents or pipes extend through the roof’s surface.
You can also use flashings near skylights, walls, valleys, and chimneys. They may crack, rust, separate, or lift, depending on their installation. It means that an essential piece of roof protection isn’t functioning properly. So, as a part of the roof repair strategy, consider sealing the flashings with caulk at places where they can be unstuck.
If possible, consider lead pipe flashings since they last for years, with little to no maintenance. They also contain no rubber that could deteriorate in the sun over time, making it less likely that you’ll need to caulk or re-caulk the problem areas of your flashings.
- Consider Professional Roof Inspections
Even if it’s an extra expense to pay for roofing inspections, you can be assured that they’re worth your investment. The reason behind it is that inspectors can spot possible problems you could’ve missed and give you invaluable tips to maintain your roof, especially when you need to do maintenance in the winter. They’ll also provide you ideas as to how many years it’ll last. More often than not, roof inspections should be done at least once a year to avoid costly repairs in the long run.
Conclusion
Your roof is your home interior’s exterior barrier, and the above roof maintenance tips will protect it from any damage. Although it’s easy to lose track of ensuring your roof performs to its best abilities, with shingles intact, doing so can prevent expensive repairs or replacement. If you don’t have much free time to provide roof maintenance regularly, let roofing professionals do the job for you.
