The roof of your house protects your house and your family against the elements. Although it is essential to maintain the roof, most homeowners overlook it. In fact, most homeowners don’t think about this aspect of their house maintenance until they have a big problem to deal with. Therefore, you may want to be aware of things that can cause damage to your roof. In this article, we are going to talk about 10 things that may cause damage to your roof. Read on to find out more.
Tree Branches
During heavy rain, snow, wind, or ice, branches from nearby trees may break and fall on your roof. Actually, trees that are weak or diseased may not withstand heavy winds. Therefore, you may want to inspect nearby trees and remove branches that may create problems for you in the future.
Roof Debris
Foliage from the trees nearby your home may create debris buildup on your roof. The thing is that pine needles, leaves, and stakes may turn into a pile of mulch that holds moisture and cause the deterioration of the shingles and the roof structure.
Therefore, it is essential to clear debris on a regular basis, especially if you want to protect your roof against deterioration and other types of damage.
Critters
Many animals such as mice, squirrels, woodpeckers, bats, raccoons, and nesting birds may dismantle your roof. What happens is that they tend to look for insects under the fascia boards and shingles of your roof. Or may turn off the shingles and vent covers of your roof looking to get inside.
An easy way of keeping critters away from your roof is to ensure your roof is free of dust, debris, leaves, and other stuff that may become a breeding ground for different types of insects and animals.
Blocked Downspouts or Gutters
Downspouts and gutters are designed to take water away from your roof. However, if you don’t maintain your roof gutters, they will get filled up with debris. Moreover, rainwater may collect on the roof and contribute to leakage. Apart from this, it may also cause some areas of your roof to rot over time.
Excessive Wind
Heavy wind can move around or blow off the shingles on your roof. And when the rainwater goes under the shingles, it may cause significant damage to your ceiling and the walls. Therefore, you may want a professional to go up there and inspect the shingles and replace the broken or damaged ones.
Heavy Rain or Hail
Heavy rain or hail may weaken or damage the mineral coating on the shingles of your roof. In other words, it can expose some areas of your roof to the elements, such as moisture and ultraviolet rays. All of this can reduce the lifespan of your roof.
Ice and Snow
Although ice may not create problems everywhere, it may cause a lot of problems in some areas. For example, if the temperature drops below the freezing point in your area, a lot of ice may build up along the eves.
This initiates the process of freezing and thawing. This process can lift the shingles on your roof, melt the ice, and cause the snow to seep through the ceiling into your house.
Flashing Damage
If you want to protect the edges, chimneys, and vents against the elements, you can try out roof flashing. Actually, these are thin strips of material to protect against flashing damage. And when the flashing gets damaged, water may seep into your home through that area.
As time goes by, the flashing sealant can dry out or become loose. Again, this can cause water damage to your roof.
UV Rays
The UV rays of the sun may reduce the lifestyle of your roof as time goes by. Exposure to the UV rays may cause your roof shingles to become dry and dull with the passage of time. So, you may want an experienced roofer to check your roof from time to time.
Moisture
Moisture is another primary cause of roof damage. If you keep your roof clean at all times, you can prevent moisture from causing damage to your roof. If you can’t go up there, you can hire the services of professionals to clean your roof.
Long story short, this was a description of 10 elements that may cause damage to a roof with the passage of time. Therefore, you need to get your roof inspected by any reliable and trustworthy roofing companies in Gaithersburg, MD on a regular basis to make sure you don’t end up with a roof that requires immediate replacement.
