Your Roof Maintenance Checklist

Your home’s roof home will always be at the receiving end of beatings from the elements.

Whether it’s rain, snow, hail, strong winds, and harsh sunlight, your roof is often up to the job of protecting you and your family.

That’s why your roof deserves every bit of attention you can give it when it comes to its maintenance.

While roofs are generally built to last, they sure can use regular maintenance work to stretch their lifespan further.

To help you keep your roof in tip-top shape, here’s a roof maintenance checklist that you can refer to from time to time.

Perform a Visual Inspection of Your Roof

Inspecting your roof for problems twice a year would be ideal, although you can also do it after a heavy storm.

You don’t even have to get up on the roof to look for cracked, broken, curled, blistered, or missing shingles. All you have to do is invest in a pair of good binoculars and do your inspection from the ground. Using a drone would also be a safe and excellent way to inspect the roof.

While you’re at it, check the flashing—the flat and thin material that prevents water from entering through openings in the roof—and see if it’s still intact.

It also pays to check for algae growth. Your roofing material could deteriorate due to algae or mold formation, so see if your roof suddenly has color changes.

Should you spot problems, call a trusted roofing contractor right away to check the roof more closely and fix any issues.

Check For Signs of A Leaking Roof From The Inside

It’s hard to spot a leak if you’re just inspecting the roof from the ground with a pair of binoculars.

It’s a good thing then that signs of a roof leak are visible from the inside of your house. All you have to do is check for wet spots on your ceiling or walls, and you can confirm that you have a roof leak. Have a contractor repair the leak right away to prevent it from getting worse.

Clean Your Gutters

Your gutters collect rainwater and channel them away from your house.

Over time, your gutters will accumulate debris, including leaves, twigs, bird nests, and even dead animals.

Eventually, all that debris will clog everything up, and all the rainwater it collects will ultimately spill over the side and lead to issues like water damage to the attic, foundation and structural problems, and the formation of mold and mildew.

You can keep all that from happening as long as your roof maintenance checklist includes cleaning your gutters at least twice a year.

Trim Your Trees

For all the benefits that trees provide, their limbs actually present a threat to your roof, especially those large branches that hang over it.

A heavy enough branch can punch a hole through your roof should it break off during a storm.

You can prevent this from happening by trimming those branches regularly, especially before a storm strikes.

Rid Your Roof of Snow

If you live in an area that gets plenty of snowfall, your roof likely collects a few inches of snow within a short period.

As much as possible, don’t let your roof accumulate that much snow. Keep in mind that a few inches of snow are pretty heavy. The more snow collects, the heavier it gets, and all that weight could cause your roof to collapse.

At some point, some of that snow would melt and flow down your roof, but the cold weather will eventually freeze that water again and form ice dams, which can also cause roof damage.

Many homeowners scrape their roofs with a roof rake when the accumulated snow is already six inches deep. However, if you have doubts about your roof’s ability to carry that much weight without collapsing, you can rid your roof of snow as often as you like to make sure they don’t build up to dangerous levels.

Have Your Roof Checked By A Professional

Taking it upon yourself to check your roof regularly is all good. Still, unless you have extensive experience in performing roof repairs, your initial visual inspection will be just that: an initial inspection. Confirmation of your roof’s current state and fixing the problems you spotted beforehand must be left in the hands of a professional roofing contractor.

Professional roofers have the skills, tools, and experience to deal decisively with any problems you have with your roof. So, have them inspect your roof if you think there might be an issue. Just make sure that the roofing contractor you hire is reputable and didn’t make roofing insurance mistakes that could put their liability insurance coverage in doubt.

Your roof is doing hard work for you and your family, and it’s only right that you get maintenance work done on it. With added care and attention, your roof will last as long as expected, and maybe even beyond.

About The Author: Rachel Porter is the content specialist for Custom Contractors Insurance, LLC, an Arizona roofing and contractors insurance company. When not writing, she enjoys reading and mountain biking with her friends.