End of summer is a great time to plan a regular roof maintenance schedule. Here are a few points you want to make sure to add to your fall maintenance routine:
- Loo for missing shingles. Keep an eye out for any missing shingles, roofing material that shows obvious damage (i.e. curling shingles, buckling shingles, flat roofing that is not fastened down), or shingles that have organic matter growing on them.
- Clean out your gutters. Remove all leaves, twigs and other debris from gutters and downspouts. Gutters free of debris will drain water much more effectively and efficiently.
- Trim branches. Although it doesn’t seem like it would do much, tree branches dragging on your roof can cause accelerated wear and tear on the shingles and can dislodge granules prematurely. To make sure you get a full lifetime of wear out of your roof, you should do your best to keep branches trimmed back.
- Inspect for rust. Rust on shingles is a result of rust occurring on some piece of metal on the roof and running onto the shingles. Rust can come from any metal pipe, cap, or even nails. The most important thing to do is to find the source of the rust so you can resolve the issue.If there is a significant amount of staining to your roof, you do have some options for cleaning it. However, these all require careful effort and handling so you do not damage your shingles. There are different products you can purchase to help you clean, or you can use vinegar applied directly to the stain, gently scrub with a brush, and rinse.
- Prevent ice dam formation. Ice dams are continuous chunks of ice that build up along the margins of your roof during the winter. They form when melting ice and snow pool up behind the ice and then can seep back up under the shingles and can cause leaks.Preventing ice dams begins with making sure your attic is free from air leaks; this could be from gaps in drywall, or cracks around light fixtures, plumbing pipes, chimney, access hatches, etc. (Note: this will also serve to reduce your energy bills!).Next, check the depth of your attic insulation and be sure that you have 12 - 14 inches of fiberglass or cellulose insulation. Then have your vents inspected and verify that you have enough venting for the size of your home. Make sure your gutters are clean of debris so that water can flow downward as it should. Blocked gutters can cause water back up and make ice dams worse. If you continue to have issues, you may want to consider installing heat cables around the eaves to help keep ice melting.