Fall roof care is very important because if you don’t get serious about it, you will suffer the consequences. During this season, all kinds of leaves fall and they will clutter your roof and fill up your gutters. If you neglect fall roof care and maintenance, these leaves will cause damage to your roof and its drainage system. And when winter comes, these problems will rapidly deteriorate because ice dams will form and debris will clog your gutters. You can’t deal with roof issues during winter. It is during the fall season that you need to think about caring for your roof. Before the onset of winter, here are the things that you need to do to prepare your roof.
- Trim your trees
Fall is the best time to trim the branches of your trees. Trim those trees that could potentially damage your home during a winter storm. Be especially wary of those branches and limbs that extend over your roof. But you need to be careful in trimming tree branches. Tree trimming could be a difficult and challenging task for the novice. If you don’t have the knowledge and the tools, you are better off hiring the professionals to do this job. It is better to be safe than sorry.
- Inspect your roof
You will never know if there’s anything wrong with your roof if you don’t inspect it. You can inspect it while on the ground, and you can get a closer look by going over to the top. Visually look over every section of your roof, giving more particular attention on the sections that may cause problems, such as the gutter, troughs and the eaves. You need to look for mold or algae growth, discolored sections, damaged or missing shingles or flashings and other visible problems. Repair the areas that you can repair and ask a roof specialist to correct bigger problems that you can’t handle. The areas where leaks usually occur are the flashings, sections around rooftop installations and equipment, seams and edges, and the edges of the roof perimeter.
- Clean the roof
Cleaning your roof should be a part of your preventive maintenance. If you do this regularly, you will be able to spot the problems before they get bigger. Clean all the dirt, contaminants and debris that you will find on the roof. You will have to use brooms, brushes, mops and whatever cleaning tools are appropriate for the job. Remove all the blockages in the gutters, downspouts, scuppers and drains. You need to clean the downspouts and gutters thoroughly. This part of your roof care must be done because it will enable water to flow away from your home and not cause any build up on your foundation which will cause flooding on your basement. Clean gutters will also direct water away from the roof and siding. This will prevent problems such as moldy shingles, damaged fascia, rotting wood and many more. While cleaning, mark or flag down the roof sections that needs to be repaired and repair or have them repaired as soon as possible. Also check all the pipe connections and see if they are all intact and closely attached to one another.
- Check the insulation of the roof interior
Roof care does not only include the outside but the inside as well. You need to care for the insulation of your roof as much as you care for the roof itself if you don’t want to be faced with problems when winter comes. Examine the condition of your roof insulation and look for areas where there are water or air leaks. If you do find some problematic areas, repair those sections and add more insulation if need be. If you can’t solve the problem, ask for a roof specialist to do the job.
- Consider roof restoration
If your roof is really in terrible shape, or you are expecting a very severe winter, you may need to consider a complete roof restoration. The best time to do this is during the fall season. Your main goal is to ensure that your roof is water tight and that no amount of cold and moisture will penetrate the inside your home when winter comes. A typical roof restoration work will extend the life of your roof for more than 10 additional years.
