Last Updated on: 8th October 2021, 09:24 pm
When you want to know what the weather is like outside your house, the most effective way to determine this is to simply open a window or stick your head out the door. This is the best case scenario. The worst case is that you know what the weather is like inside your home because your roof leaks. Water damage can wreak havoc on a home, and its roof is the first and most important line of defense. In order to maintain the best possible state of repair for it, you need to know how to keep your home’s roof in good condition.
Your roof is your home’s shield
What is a house without a roof? The roof protects the inside of a home from the elements, providing shelter from heat, cold, rain, snow, wind, and sunlight. The best way to keep your roof in good condition is to make sure that outside factors have as little time as possible to incur harm.
For example, if leaves have collected on the roof, they must be cleared away as soon as possible. A leaf cover does not provide water an evaporation route, and the moisture inside the leaves can also work its way into the shingles, eventually eroding them away.
Moisture is no good for the rafters that the roof guards. Plant matter itself can also eat into the shingles if left there long enough. If you do not have the means to clean off the roof, then let a professional do so for you.
To protect your roof, trim the trees surrounding the house
Some other preventive maintenance to complete is to trim the trees around your house and in keep them in good condition. Limbs and branches that hang over your roof present plenty of opportunities for leaves to congregate, and they might find their way through your roof and ceiling during a storm or particularly windy day. If the limbs and branches are dead, then they need to be trimmed as soon as possible, and if the entire tree has died, then it needs to be removed. Not doing so is a recipe for complications later on.
Clean downspouts and gutters regularly
Be sure to check downspouts and gutters every so often and clean out any leaves and junk that might cause backups. Water that sits in the trough or flows over the sides will wear away at the wood along the edge of the roof and do damage to the rafters. In certain combinations of shade and light, moss tends to grow on the roof. If this happens, sweep it away while it is wet. If it has dried, use roof weed killer to eliminate it.
If you neglect routine maintenance, your roof will likely have a shorter lifespan
It is tempting to just let the roof go without routine maintenance, but that will only lessen the number of years you will get out of it. New roofs should give you around 15 years of service if they are kept in good condition. With some preventive maintenance and tender loving care, your home’s roof will remain in the best shape possible.
