03/08/2019
Top 5 Spring Maintenance Tips for Your Residential Roof
Posted on April 10th, 2015 by Dave Lodde
How is your roof doing after the long winter? Do you know?
A tough winter can be hard on your roof, as it bears the snow, wind, and ice all season long. Once the weather (finally!) starts to warm up, your roof needs some TLC.
Every residential roof could use a simple inspection in the spring. With regular, seasonal maintenance, roofs last longer and perform better. Whether you do some of the maintenance work yourself or hire a professional roofing contractor to get it done, there are some key things to do in the spring.
Spring MaintenanceTop 5 Spring Roof Maintenance Musts
1. Clean Those Gutters
Eavestroughs and downspouts are meant to safely run water off your roof when the rain comes. If your gutters have debris built up in them – which they likely will after the winter – you will need to clean them out in preparation for spring showers.
2. Inspect Your Shingles
Are any shingles curling, loose, or damaged? You should replace these right away!
Are any nails popping out? Hammer those down!
Are the shingles looking old and worn out? You may need a roof replacement, depending on the roof’s age and condition.
3. Look for Flashing Damage
Flashing connects different elements of your roof – like skylights, walls of dormers, windows, or where two slopes of the roof come together.
Is the caulking cracked around the flashing? If you’re comfortable doing it, you can re-caulk the flashing yourself.
Do you see rust spots on the flashing? You’ll need replacement flashing right away to prevent water damage.
3. Examine Your Soffit and Fascia
Soffits are metal or wood panels along the underside of the roof between the wall of the house and the roofline, while fascia are the metal or wood boards along the roofline or behind the eavestrough. Both of these components are crucial for a healthy roof. Don’t overlook them when doing your spring roof maintenance!
Check to see if the soffits or fascia have any soft spots, holes, or damaged parts. Depending on how far gone they are, they might need to be repaired or replaced.
4. Check for Water Damage or Ice Dam Damage
Do you see any signs of a leak inside your home or on the roof?
Snow melting from the winter or destruction caused by ice dams can result in water damage on your roof, your ceilings, your insulation, and so on.
5. If you spot a roof leak, it needs immediate attention before it can cause any more damage – like rotting your roof’s underlayment and destroying your insulation.
If you’re not sure how to fix the leak yourself, it’s best to call a roofing expert who will know which materials and techniques are right for your specific problem.
Preventative Roof Maintenance Protects Homeowners
If you do a roof inspection this spring and repair problems now, you’ll save yourself serious headaches down the road. You don’t want to wait until you see a huge problem to deal with it.
Instead, address the small repair issues as you go and avoid the big, costly disasters.
Preventative roof maintenance is the way to keep your roof in prime condition and protect your investment in your home.
If you’re not confident doing the spring roof maintenance yourself, make sure you hire a roofing contractor you can trust.
