While most roof maintenance tasks are best left to professionals, there are a few yet crucial tasks that homeowners are responsible for. These tasks can help extend the roof’s life span, prevent costly repairs or even an early roof replacement. In today’s post, Next Level Roofers shares a look at some of the things that you can do to keep your roof in good shape.
Visual Inspections
Visual inspections are different from the roofing inspections conducted by professionals, in that you are not expected to perform repairs. Instead, you’d be taking note of signs that may or may not indicate the need for repairs. There are three key areas for inspection: the attic, the outer roof and the roof edge. If you find issues such as pinholes (visible from the attic), damaged shingles and missing flashing, make a repair appointment with your roofer.
Roof Ventilation Upgrade
Trapped heat and moisture in the attic can cause damage to the roof framing and insulation, which makes ventilation a key component of any roof. Most sloped roofing systems have standard passive ventilation through ridge and soffit vents. The ridge vents serve as the exhaust vents, releasing heat and humidity through the natural rising motion of warm air. This also creates negative pressure that pulls cool, fresh air through the soffit vents.
Sometimes, a passive ventilation system may not be enough — fortunately, there are various upgrades that can help supplement it, including exhaust fans that come in electrical and solar-powered varieties. In addition to preventing heat and moisture damage, a ventilation upgrade can also help keep your home cool during hot weather.
Regular Cleaning
Having your roof cleaned regularly does more than just maintain your home’s curb appeal. It helps prevent leaves and debris from creating crevices where dirt and moisture can make their way into the roof. Keeping the gutters clean can help prevent clogging that causes corrosion and water infiltration at the roof’s edges. If you have trees on your property, keep a clearance of about ten feet between the roof and the outermost tree branches. This will prevent damage caused by tree branches scratching the roof’s surface, reduce the leaves that make their way to the roof, and prevent small animals from gaining access to the rooftop.
If you need help with your roof, give our team at Next Level Roofers a call at (407) 237-7960. You can also fill out our contact form to schedule a free estimate. We serve The Villages and other communities in Sumter County.
