How many of you have thought about getting your roof checked out? Do you inspect your roof yourself, or do you only do something when a problem occurs? You probably picked the latter, but don’t worry that’s what the majority of people seem to do when it comes to their roof. Roofs are often said to be like tires – we only think of them when a problem occurs, and we only replace them when we must.
But replacing a roof can be incredibly expensive and can often be avoided if the roof is inspected. Just like tires if you inspect and maintain them regularly, they will last longer. So, to help your roof last longer you need to make sure that you inspect it. Now you can do this yourself, but it would be much better to hire a professional, such as this Peaks & Valleys Construction company. A professional will know what to look for and can help you avoid replacing your roof sooner then you would like.
Weathering and Aging
One of the most common reasons that you need to replace your roof is due to weathering and aging. Nothing will last forever, but if something is well looked after it should survive a bit longer. For a multi-ply bituminous low-slope roof normally lasts 20-30 years, whilst a single ply roof might last 15-25 years. Obviously, if you look after your roof and inspect it regularly it should last longer. However, your roof will naturally age.
It’s normal for roofs to undergo weathering and aging, but this might lead to things such as openings occurring, which could lead to water infiltration. This is why it is important get regular inspections (at least twice a year), they can check for any issues and will be able to inform the owner of these things. Once the owner knows they can then decide what to do to help sort any further damage from occurring.
Routine Maintenance Damage
Just because your roof seems fine at the minute does not mean that it is. There might be a problem in your roof that is only getting worse the longer you leave it. What you probably don’t realise is that damage can occur from other professionals, such as tradespeople performing maintenance on air conditioners and other systems. This sometimes happens because of tradesmen failing to close mechanical access panels on the roof or leaving refrigerant containers.
They might also forget to clean up any debris that they leave on the roof after they have finished doing their job. If items are left on the roof, then they can become flying objects in high wind. This can lead to further damages as the items can destroy parts of the roof. This is why a regular inspection is a good idea, as they can clean the roof for you, as they go about their normal ongoing maintenance cycle.
Storm Damage
One of the other main reasons to why your roof gets damaged is because of storm damage, things like high winds, hail and other weather events can create damage on your roof. Damage from wind or hail might only require minor maintenance, but the problems can also be major and require you to replace your whole roof. This is why it is so important to get your roof checked over, as you just never know what the damage is.
Things like broken tree limbs and branches can also cause damage to your roof, particularly if they are blown onto it during a storm. These are only a few things that you will need to watch out for though when it comes to making sure you that take good care of your roof. If you didn’t think that you needed to take care of your roof, then you should take a look at this article here about 5 myths about residential roof cleaning, to show the importance of getting your roof inspected!