As a homeowner, you probably feel excited to invest in renovating your bathroom, kitchen, or living room, buy new furniture, and redecorate. However, you probably don’t know how important it is to take care of your basic infrastructure, for example, your roof. This is completely understandable, yet it’s essential to be responsible and prioritize your safety. If you ignore the basics in favor of other projects which may seem more fun you can experience serious problems and lose a lot of money in the long run.
Repairing and strengthening your roof is crucial for your family’s safety and it also makes your house look nice and refreshed. If you want to protect your home you must learn about the common roof problems, how to spot them, and how to solve them. Stop the issues before they spin out of control by following this simple guide. Let’s begin.
Dealing With Roof Leaks
Roof leaks can cause serious damage to your home very quickly. This problem is something you must not ignore. You may think that your shingles are in good shape but leaks can occur anywhere and cause numerous issues. You don’t have to drag out buckets full of water in order to acknowledge the seriousness of the situation. Even a small leak that goes to your crawlspace or attic can make damage in the long run.
Taking good care of your roofs is especially important if you live in a rainy area or in a place where winters are extreme. People from Louisiana should always keep their roofs in a good shape because it’s considered the rainiest state in the U.S. The same goes for Mississippi, Washington, and Florida. It also depends on the time of the year. For example, in Maryland, September is by far the wettest month and winters can be very harsh as well. This is the reason why roofing contractors in MD offer professional services from small repairs to roof replacements to help you go through these problematic times. Make sure you secure your roof before winter if you live in Minnesota, Michigan, Alaska, North Dakota, or Maine. Your safety comes first and harsh winters can cause major damage to the roof if it’s not in a good condition.
If you have a small leak it can be quite challenging to find it. To track it down you should always check your roof uphill from any strains and always look for a penetration first since it’s the most common source of leaks. For example, it can be a chimney, dormer, roof vents, plumbing, or really anything that goes through the roof. Note that these objects can be a few feet left or right to the leak. If you have an attic, the best way is to go there with a flashlight and look for mold, water stains, or black marks.
How To Fix Roof Vents
Many people just throw caulk at a roof vent but it’s only a temporary solution and it won’t last for a long time. If you have plastic roof vents, make sure you look for cracked housings and if you have metal ones check them for broken seams. Whatever the damage is, your best option is to replace your vents.
If you don’t have the time or money to do that at the moment, a good hack is to look for missing nails at the bottom and replace them with rubber screws. Depending on your roof you may have to remove the shingles to get to the vent. It’s not as challenging as it may seem at first – just remove the nails under the shingles and squeeze out caulk beneath on both sides of the vent.
Flashing Your Chimney Might Be A Great Idea
A good old chimney flashing is a very important thing to do from time to time. Make sure you do it up the sides of your chimney and also to counter flash. Sometimes the sloppy roofers don’t do a good job because installing takes time and effort and chimneys that are flashed improperly can cause rotting roofs and many other problems. So, don’t rely on roof cement or caulk to keep the water out. If you have your doubts about it, you should go to your attic after heavy rain and look for water around the chimney.
Knowing your roof is in trouble is essential since it covers your whole house. Fortunately for you, there are many signs you can easily spot and prevent various problems. Start by following some of these easy solutions and make sure no issues go by you undetected. Inspect your roof regularly and recognize the signals of roof problems right away to avoid more serious problems.