Shingle roofs are affordable and easy to maintain, but without the right care, they can easily sustain costly damage.
Fortunately, with a little attention to details, you can prevent damage to your shingle roofing and get a full life expectancy out of it.
Use these practices employed by professional roofers to keep your shingles in great shape through the decades!
1. Choose the Right Shingles
A strong, sturdy roof that is damage-proof starts with choosing the right shingles.
Consider wind ratings and hail resistance before investing in any shingles, especially if you live in an area where hail, hurricanes, or other severe weather is common.
The higher the rating to withstand these effects, the less damage the shingles will suffer.
2. Address Ventilation
Though it may seem unrelated, poor attic ventilation is a killer of shingle roofing.
A hot attic that cannot vent will build up moisture on the underside of the decking while causing heat damage to the shingles on the outside.
This can result in many problems including, but not limited to loss of shindle adhesion, blistering, curling, and cracking of the shingles, ice damming in the winter, all of which can cause leaks, rot, and other damage.
3. Keep Gutters Clean
Clogged gutters that fill with water are another hazard to shingle roofs.
Avoid the possibility of the shingles becoming saturated if the ends stay submerged in clogged gutters by having a roofer out to clean them every spring before the storms come and every fall after the trees are bare.
4. Routinely Check Flashing and Seals
The most common areas likely to fail on a shingle roof is under flashing and seals.
Knowing this, routine observation of these areas is highly recommended.
Seals around protrusions on your roof that loosen up or crack can let moisture through to the underlayment and decking.
Bent or missing flashing will do the same. You may not notice missing flashing or damaged seals if you are not actually looking for them, however, so look often.
5. Look For Problems
While looking for problems with the flashing, look for other issues as well.
A scan over the roofing with binoculars can help you get an idea of shingle problems, as well as other issues.
Sagging trusses, missing shingles, and shingles losing their gravel are all conditions that suggest there is a problem somewhere that needs addressing before the damage can worsen.
6. Have Regular Inspections
In addition to regular observation of your installation, schedule a professional inspection with a roofer every year to two years.
A trained contractor will be able to detect and diagnose problems that need attention, and also recommend and perform needed maintenance to keep things in great shape.
7. Schedule Repairs Right Away
Last of all, if and when you find things that don’t seem right, including missing shingles, avoid waiting to get repairs done and shingles replaced.
The easiest way to guarantee substantial roofing damage is to put off needed repairs, allowing the damage to spread and potentially get out of control.
Roofing repairs should always be done on an As Soon As Possible basis to prevent little problems from turning into massive ones.
Prevent Damage to Shingle Roofs For A Long Roof Life
The roof over your head might be out of sight but don’t let it be out of mind.
Avoid having to call a roofer and paying expensive repair bills by taking some preventive steps to protect your shingle roof!