When you have something as important as a roof, which protects your building and its contents from various elements, you should at least take steps to take care of or maintain it properly in order to increase its life expectancy. Ask any Cinnaminson Township roofing and siding contractor and they will readily tell you that regular inspection and maintenance is the only way to extend the service life of your house’s roofing after its installation.
When it comes to roof maintenance, your main goal is to maximize its service life, which in turn will help bring down the lifecycle cost of the roof. The problem with most homeowners is that their core principle happens to be “out of sight, out of mind” when it comes to roofing, which is one of the major home investments they make. Here is a complete roof maintenance guide from Cinnaminson Township roofing and siding contractors:
Preventive Maintenance
Preventive maintenance is something you can schedule with your roofing and siding contractor and will generally include routine inspections followed by restorative actions. The reason for this is to maximize your roof’s life expectancy, enabling it to provide better protection for your building for a long time to come. If you have a Cinnaminson Township roofing and siding contractor perform preventive maintenance for you, the process will involve visual inspections of the roofing system and its elements in regular intervals, immediate repair or replacement of defective parts or elements before any further damage is done, and moisture infiltration detection.
Regular Inspection
Inspecting your roof at least twice a year is extremely important. You can schedule inspections during the spring and fall. Additional roof inspections should also be done after a strong weather occurrence or upon the completion of any type of construction in your house. Before inspecting the roof, prepare a “roof plan” in which you can take note of all the defects you find as well as other important details. After an inspection, if you happen to find defects that need to be remedied as soon as possible, contact your roofing and siding contractor and have the job done. During an inspection, you need to look for wet spots, cracks, rust, stains, and watermarks.
Your roof maintenance procedures should also involve the following:
- Perform inspections right after the hot summer months and cold winter months, because these tend to be the times when the roof encounters severe weather conditions.
- Check your building’s exterior, including the walls, for cracks, as these could be an indication of cracks in the roofing. Also check the conditions of downspouts, gutters, edging, and overhangs. Clogged or damaged roof drains, gutters, and downspouts can cause water stagnation on the roof.
- Always keep your roof clean by removing all debris.
- Inspect the roof immediately after rough weather conditions like strong winds, heavy rains, heavy snow, hail, etc.
Moisture Damage Prevention
Roofing repairs caused by water infiltration have always made homeowners spend more than they anticipate. As moisture is the biggest enemy of any roofing system, it is always best to prevent it, which can be done by creating and following a regular maintenance program. No matter what type of roof you have, the destruction caused by wind, sun, rain, snow, and other natural elements is completely inevitable. Therefore, contact your reliable Cinnaminson Township roofing and siding contractor to come up with a scheduled inspection and maintenance program to keep any damage in check.
Warranty Coverage Protection
Most roofing manufacturers require you to perform inspections twice a year, and they also emphasize the importance of documenting the results of your inspection. If you fail or forget to perform these inspections and have small problems rectified promptly, it means that you are not following the manufacturer’s warranty guidelines, which will declare the warranty null and void. In fact, this regular inspection and maintenance is a win-win situation. As we keep discussing, regular and proper roof maintenance will also benefit you greatly as it prevents expensive repairs.
Once a roofing system is installed on your house, your job certainly doesn’t end there. You need to conduct regular inspections and maintenance to optimize its long-term performance. If you don’t have the time, you can have it scheduled by a Cinnaminson Township roofing and siding contractor.