Last Updated on October 10, 2021 by Kimberly Crawford
Your roof is a crucial part of your home. It protects you and your family from the elements, offers cooling and heating capabilities for your house, and increases your property’s value as it adds function and beauty simultaneously.
If you want to ensure that your roof isn’t damaged due to harsh winter conditions, there are several ways to provide maintenance for your roof this spring, some of which include the following:
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1. Clean Out Your Gutters
Whether or not you use square plastic guttering, it’s always a great idea to clean out your downspouts and gutters. If you have clogged gutters, rain won’t drain well. For this reason, water may overflow the gutters and could cause serious structural damage to your property’s foundation over time. Also, a gutter that’s full of water is a bit heavy and may damage your roof’s fascia boards.
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However, before you get started, you have to keep in mind that cleaning the gutters or inspecting your roof is risky, which is why it’s essential to take note of some safety tips, like the following:
- Secure your ladder at the top to avoid it from slipping.
- Ensure that your ladder is on a level and solid ground.
Once you’ve considered those safety measures, below are tips to have your gutters prepared for a whole new season:
- Get rid of the seeds, needles, sticks, and leaves from the gutters. You can use a gloved hand or a garden trowel to scoop out the debris.
- Never try removing the debris with a hose since it may cause downspouts to clog.
- Get rid of the pasty goo that’s made up of small granules on the asphalt roofing shingles that have mixed with water and dirt.
- Flush any residual matter with the use of your garden hose.
- To clean your downspout, turn on your hose full blast and consider threading into the drain opening.
Since gutters are one of the important parts of a roof, it’s best to keep the above tips to ensure that they’re cleaned properly, helping you avoid any unnecessary damage to your property.
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2. Check If There’s Water Damage
Properly check your roof, the adjacent walls in your home, and your ceiling to ensure that there are no stains, paint bubbles, wet spots, or some signs of water damage.
Once you notice any leaks, contact a roofing repair expert immediately to inspect them and take necessary actions.
3. Inspect Your Shingles
Check for curling, worn down, or missing shingles. If you’re not comfortable climbing up on your roof, you may do a partial visual roof inspection from the ground. However, if you can climb up, use a durable ladder and have someone to look after you for safety purposes.
Look for shingles with curled edges, cracks, and loose nails. Once you notice big areas of damaged shingles, this might be the best time for roof replacement or repair this spring.
4. Prune And Trim Your Trees
Overhanging big tree branches are one of the dangers to your roof. Aside from shedding their leaves, trees might also shed some of the weak branches. If such branches fall on your roof, they can cause punctures and extensive damages, as well as shaded areas that may result in algae or mold growth.
To avoid this damage, consider trimming your trees away from your house. Moreover, check if the trees don’t have branches touching your roof.
5. Schedule Professional Inspection
Once you notice anything unusual on your roof, save yourself from worries and hassles by scheduling a roof inspection. Experienced and licensed roofers can help you determine the extent of your roof damage and whether it requires a patch, total replacement, or repairs. Your roof also protects your home interior and attic, so it’s best to ensure that it can keep the moisture out of your house properly.
6. Check For Mold
If there’s mold growth on your roof, make sure to get rid of it. Mold can hold onto and may trap moisture, which can cause long-term damage to your deck and shingles when not removed properly.
If you see some signs of mold growth, call roofing specialists to resolve the problem. Many service providers use non-toxic solutions, which you may spray, and it’ll wash off after several rainy days.
7. Make Sure There Are No Pests
Raccoons, birds, mice, and some pests can make their nests on your roof, which can lead to possible damage to your property. They may also tear off the roof shingles and burrow inside your attic. This is quite common during the spring season. That’s why it’s important to ensure that your roof is in good condition to avoid animals getting inside your house.
8. Prevent Moss Growth
Moss may hold onto moisture, which may lead to excess moisture that can make your wooden deck susceptible to rotting and leaking. Remember that these conditions can affect your roof’s lifespan dramatically. So, do what you can to clear and check for moss regularly and keep your roof free from debris. In this way, you’ll give moss no chance to bloom.
9. Document Any Possible Damage
A crucial component to ensuring that you’re able to restore your roof’s condition is documenting damage. For one thing, you might have to prove to an insurance provider that there’s damage to your roof. It may also help that you don’t miss any possible damage to your roof. So, take some photos and monitor the damage until your hired roofing specialists repair your roof.
10. Check Your Attic
After inspecting your roof’s exterior components, it’s time to check the interior. To do this, check your attic as it’ll show whether there are some holes on your roof. If there’s a beam of sunlight that enters your house or water leakage from the top, it’s a sign that there’s damage to your attic.
The holes might be small in size, which might not be visible from far, so it’s critical to check it from the nearest distance to determine whether or not your roof is in good condition.
Final Thoughts
A beautiful and clean roof preserves and protects your home no matter what the season is. However, to achieve this, you should be proactive when providing proper care and maintenance to ensure you get the most out of your investment. So, make sure to keep the above roof maintenance tips for spring and contact the best experts to help you with your roofing concerns.
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