When the calendar ticks over and we start a new year, lots of people take the opportunity to set new personal goals and make changes in their lives. Most of these are, admittedly, distinctly not roof-related. But, your roof shouldn’t be left out of the new years’ fun. Roofs need regular maintenance to make sure they last as long as they can, i.e. the length of time you were told they would last when it was first installed.
No one wants their roof to fail and need replacing years before its due-by date. So, let 2020 be the year where you institute a few routine checks and repairs to make sure your roof is good for the long run.
Around autumn, when the trees start shedding their leaves, a lot of detritus and debris end up in your gutters. If you don’t regularly clear them out, you might find a backlog of sodden leaves waiting for you. If you do, you’re not off the hook - check the downpipes as well and take the opportunity to make sure the brackets holding the gutters on to the house are all firmly secured.
Failing to clear debris from the roof can cause localised ponding, which can lead to corrosion and other bigger problems down the line. It’s much easier to simply clear the gutters out every once in a while.
Claddings and flashings have the very important job of keeping water outside, where it should be. To make sure you don’t end up replacing these components too early, you need to do a few simple checks on the regular.
Check around the house for visible signs of wear and tear. This could include corrosion, splitting, moss and lichen growth, or peeling paint.
A good wash can do a lot for many of the more minor problems you’ll encounter. A water blaster, used every year or so, should take care of the early stages of decay, as well as clean off moss and lichen.
Repainting chipped paint is another way to stop decay in its tracks.
The ‘field’ is a name given to the main area of the roof, comprised of the main roofing panels attached to the frame. Giving it a good once over should be a part of any annual check, and certainly should be done if it’s been longer than that since you last had a look.
Don’t just go up there unprepared! Make sure you’re doing so safely, and taking a checklist of things to look out for. The most obvious sign of damage is any holes or punctures in the roofing material, or any scrapes or tears that could turn into a hole later on. You should also check that all of the roofing panels are laying down flat, are lapping over correctly, and haven’t bent up at the corners.
Most of the time, however, roof problems don’t start in the main field of the roof. Water is more likely to get in, and rust more likely to take hold, where the flashings meet the roof itself. Check for diagonal wrinkles, a sure sign that the flashings and the roof are failing to bind properly to one another. Any other loose flashings, tears, scrapes or holes are also a cause for concern, and should warrant a call to a roofing professional.
Here’s one that you can do without even leaving the house - check that all of the paperwork associated with your roof is together and complete. You should have records of the different contractors who have been involved with your roof at some point or another, as well as a full copy of your warranty, if applicable. Finally, you should make sure that you have records of any previous repairs that have been made.
When you’re dealing with something as important as the roof over your head, it doesn’t pay to leave things up to chance. There’s no substitute for experience, and as one of the most experienced roofing specialists in Auckland, you can count on us to check for everything that could have an impact on the health of your roof. For roof maintenance in Auckland, the best step is to contact us and take it from there.
