Roof Care and Maintenance Tips

A new roof is one of the biggest investments you can make in your home. Some of the roof care tips are listed here to guide you. Roof care is very important to upkeep. Any time you have a problem with your roof, we know that it can be an inconvenience to you.
It is important to remember that traffic on your roof should be kept to a minimum as shingles are brittle, especially in extreme hot or cold temperatures. Instead of walking the roof, use a pair of binoculars to get a closer view of the roof surface.

The first thing that you need to do to make your roof last longer is to clean it periodically. Always remember that the dirt and dust that often accumulates on your copper roofing will accelerate the deterioration of your roof. By removing dirt and dust from your roof, you can prolong the life of your roof. According to experts, you can extend the lifespan of your copper roofing to as much as 30% to 40% if you periodically clean it.

Here are some general tips to make sure your roof is in good shape and warning signs to know when it is time to replace them:

1. Inspect your roof in the late fall and early spring (you may need binoculars). Look for loose shingles, or shakes, or, if you have tiles, look for missing or cracked pieces. On shingle roofs, look for curling, fraying and tears at the edges. Don't forget to check the flashings around chimneys, vents, skylights, and other roof penetrations. They should be tight and in good condition. Also check the condition of the fascia boards near the joints of all eaves metal for signs of leakage or rot. If you see any of these signs of wear, call a professional contractor for a more thorough inspection.
2. Keep gutters and downspouts clean and free of leaves, sticks and other debris.
3. Keep trees trimmed away from building.
4. Stay off the roof! Walking on its surface can do a great deal of damage. And, you could falll! If you must see the roof for yourself, use a firmly braced ladder equipped with rubber safety feet and wear rubber-soled shoes. Stay on the ladder as much as possible.
5. In addition to looking bad, algae, moss and mildew can trap moisture and shorten the life of your roof. Soaking the affected area with a diluted chlorine bleach solution, then pressure washing can be effective in removing these damaging growths. To prevent shingle damage it is recommend using a pressure washing contractor that specializes in this type of removal.
6. Clear off all debris (leaves, branches, etc.) from your roof.
7. After heavy storms, check the attic for water stains and weak shingles.
8. To avoid clogged drains, clean out your gutters and install gutter guards.
9. Make sure that all gutter joints are properly sealed.
10. If you have asphalt shingles, they should be replaced when the mineral granules along the top surface disappear.
11. When you start to see black felt, call your local professional and get the shingles replaced.
12. Check for holes in your gutters. If you install an antenna on your roof, make sure to seal any holes you may have made.

ADDITIONAL TIPS:

• Know your Guarantee! Familiarize yourself with what is and is not covered under both your Workmanship Guarantee and your Product Manufacturers Warranty.
• Never paint shingles. This will most certainly decrease the life of your roof. If your roofing material is starting to look worse than desired, it may be time to get a new roof.
• Never allow unqualified personnel to perform Roof repairs. This also includes the installation of any antennas or other roof equipment.
• Keep roof traffic to a minimum. Only walk on your roof if absolutely necessary. This is especially important if temperatures are below freezing.
• Have professional inspections. If you roof is more than 10 – 15 years old, call us or another professional contractor to inspect and provide maintenance (caulking etc.) to your roof every two to three years. For a minimal cost, you can catch leaks before they happen. Also, if you call us just before your five year guarantee is up – we would be happy to stop by and look things over for free.
• Downspouts: Down spouts should not be discharged onto the roof surface. To prevent premature wear, downspouts should be extended to the eaves-troughs of the lower roof.
Prevent minor problems from becoming major repairs by inspecting your roof in the late fall and early spring. Using binoculars will give you a good view of the roof while keeping traffic on the roof to a minimum. Look for loose shingles or shakes, or, if you have a tile or slate roof, cracked or missing tile. On shingle roofs, look for curling, fraying and tears at the edges.

Causes of Roof Leaks

Do you have a home? Then you must have a roof. Even if you live in a cave, there is something overhead that keeps the rain and snow from landing directly on you. Nothing revolutionary here, but if you do not understand the construction of your own roof, then you may not understand how to spot roof leaks when its integrity has been breached.
Roof leaks are caused by several factors. Usually, it is not one of these things alone that causes leakage, but a number of these combining to break down the protective covering over the building. These factors or conditions are as follows:

 Poor Roof Construction
 Normal Aging and Weathering
 Settling of the Building
 Vibrations
 Mechanical Damage

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Roof Designs also affect Roofing Problems

When you start to consider different roof designs, the most obvious thing most people look at is the shape and style of the design. Does it match the shape and style of the house? Will it fit with the general style of the neighborhood? These are both very important considerations, but there are other factors to consider as well. Roof design has a huge impact on how a house looks, but it also has a huge impact on how much a house costs and what kind of maintenance will be needed over the life of the roof.

Roof designs that are simple and have few intersecting surfaces are the easiest to install and are perfect for houses with a simple design. They are the least expensive to build and require the simplest maintenance over the long run. Gutters are easier to install and maintain on simple roof designs and there are few clog points, valleys, and other spots that need to be cleaned and maintained to prevent leaks. A simple style of roof is extremely functional and practical. The street appeal of your home will be strong if the roof is in good repair and the rest of the house is neat, tidy, and has attractive landscaping.

Roof Designs

A roof design that is more complex is more expensive to build and requires more expertise to install. It adds tremendously to the attractiveness of the home, though, as well as to the amount of maintenance and other work that is required. For instance, a complex roof with many corners, turns, and different lengths requires custom gutters to ensure proper drainage. You will need to clean those gutters regularly to prevent clogs. The many valleys and connecting points of the roof surface will require regular maintenance to make sure they stay water tight.

Complex roof designs do add a lot to the value and overall appearance of your home which will increase it's street appeal. When you think about roof designs for your home, remember to take into account shape, style, cost, and long term maintenance needs.

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What happens if we ignore roof leaks for some time?

Once a flat roof starts leaking, the inside damages will span from stained ceilings in the best case scenario to thousands of dollars in damages. Falling sheet-rock, electrical system damages, popping hardwoods and destroyed carpets, damaged furniture and home goods; these are only some of the outcomes of those leaks. Patching these leaky roofs may seem like the best solution, and the cheapest way out, but in reality, it usually proves to be the worst solution. Consider the following: the cost of patching the roof + fixing whatever damages the leak caused to the interior. Then, in 3-9 months, depending on the type of roof covering and quality of the patch work (which by the way, no contractor will ever warranty or uphold), your roof starts leaking again - maybe in the same place, maybe in a different one, but the process is irreversible. Patch is only a temporary fix and usually won't last, the roof will keep on leaking, and every time you patch it, you through away your money.

Majority of flat roof systems were not 'designed' with repairs in mind - best you could do to repair a flat roof was to pour some tar on the leaky spot. In fact, tar was pretty much the only feasible option. Unfortunately, after a short period of time you had to fix it again, as tar would dry up, crack and let the water in. New leaks would form elsewhere. So it was a constant repair, until a new leak begins and more money is spent. Such repairs are a perfect example of sunk costs, which cannot be recovered, and the fix lasts only a short period of time. After a series of such repairs, the owner would get sick & tired of it, and get a 'new' roof. Maybe a different type of flat roof, which unfortunately had the same inherited problems as the old one, but carried a different name and was made of different materials. Seems like a very sad situation for somebody with such a roof, doesn't it?

Many people are faced with a choice to either continue this cycle for the lack of other options, or to build a pitched frame roof with asphalt shingles on top of their flat roof and be done with it. However there are two problems involved here. First one - such an 'upgrade' is very costly and you would still have to re-shingle your roof every 12 to 15 years. The second one is more complex. While it might be pretty straight-forward process if you have a small, rectangular house, that is not always the case. Many houses have odd shapes, multiple levels and mixed pitched and flat roofs. Now, if you have a 200' x 100' factory, that task becomes extremely difficult to implement, and I will not even try to guess the costs involved.

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Extend Your Roof Life

When last time you have inspected your roof? Does your roof have leaks? Do you know how leaks can damage your roof? Has the roof had leaks in the past? A proper maintenance program depends on such data in order to make repairs efficient. Inspection records need to be kept with all your other roof information so you can determine a reasonable and diligent inspection schedule. Having all roofing documents and records organized properly will help immensely if you need to have the roof inspected or surveyed by professionals. It will also save time and lower the cost of the inspection, avoiding costly data duplication. If you have the roofing warranty papers, you can claim of your roof. Different companies offer different roof warranties. Most common is for 2 years. So if you inspect your roof regularly, have your roof maintain for leaks and other damages you can save your self from BIG maintenance cost.

Roof Leaks

LIQUID ROOF For Roof Leaks

Liquid Roof is a true EPDM rubber and is the only one sold in liquid form. Liquid Roof could be described as a liquid version of the single ply EPDM membrane which has established and outstanding performance record of over 30 years. It is unaffected by ultra-violet and ozone, and can tolerate continuous exposure at temperatures over 300 degrees F.

Some benefits of the liquid roof. It can be applied over all roofing materials; UV and ozone resistant; Excellent against ponding water; Waterproofs IMMEDIATELY; Not damaged by freezing and has long term flexibility; Final cured properties not damaged by adverse conditions; ONE coat application.

Liquid Roof is ideal for various forms of roof leaks repair like it is used for RV roof repair & metal roof repair. Liquid Roof is moreover recognized as an “EPDM” a rubber appreciated for its protecting possessions and adaptability. Liquid roof sticks to the entire types of facades- canvas, plywood, suds, cement, mass rubber, customized roofing, additional roof coverings, strengthen, timber, top tiles, genuine tiles, solid, and more!

As an Expert I am recommending you to use Liquid Roof for your roof leaks repair projects.

Roof Leaks

Let’s imagine that it is raining heavily outside and you are sitting cozily on your favorite sofa with a cup of coffee but suddenly a drop of water gets into your coffee cup. Now what is that…oh no roof leakage! But it is important not to panic and to realize the roof leaks can be repaired, often with low expenses and minimal time commitment. All you need to do is to follow some very simple roof leak troubleshooting guidelines.

The first step is to control the interior damage as soon as possible i.e. cover your furniture with a plastic sheet if it cannot be moved from its place and relocate electronic equipment, such as TVs and computers immediately.

Then try to discover the source of the leak. Some very common places for roofs to leak are chimneys, wall step flashings, skylights, fields of shingles, plumbing vent flashings, low spots in the roof, ice dams and missing shingles. Clogged or improperly installed gutters also lead to roof leaks which will cause water to overflow over the back and leak along the inside walls and inside the home.

After the identification of the roof leak source comes the repairing phase. If the source of the leak turns out to be as simple as a missing block of shingles due to a recent windstorm, the solution may be as simple as replacing those missing shingles else a proper roofing professional is needed to be consulted for the leak repair.

Even when the leaks are not occurring, instead of waiting for the leakage to occur and then doing the repair work, inspect the roof from time to time to prevent leaks and damage. The ideal time to go for the roof inspection is spring because of its fair weather and also due to the fact that it immediately precedes winter, which is often troublesome for many roofs. It is also a good idea to have the roof inspected after a heavy rain or heavy snow, and after serious weather phenomena such as hail storms or hurricanes. It is also important that gutters be properly cleaned in order to prevent a buildup of rainwater, ice or other debris that may lead to added weight and damage. By performing such preventive techniques, you can make your home a safe place for yourself and your family with no fear of roof leakage.

For further details on roof leaks and roof repairing follow the links below;

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• Liquid Roof Repair