How many times have you thought, “I need to have maintenance done on my roof today?” Probably never. Roof systems may be the most neglected part of a home. It makes a lot of sense why that would be the case. I mean… nobody is ever on their roof, plus it’s just something that’s there. You don’t really ever think about it. That is… not until you have water dripping out of a can light, or something really bad like that.
The best way to prevent having a leaky roof is to have an expert roof technician such as we employ at ResCom Roofing to do a roof maintenance every other year. Doing a semi-annual roof maintenance can save you from more expensive repairs because of what faulty shingles and a roof leak can do. Most leaks aren’t even detected for a few months if they’re minor. So, during that time, you’re risking mold growth and damage to structural parts of your home. If that happens, you’ll wish you’d had ResCom or some other roof professional do a maintenance. Doing this will not only help to prevent any unnecessary leaks, it will also prolong the life of your roof shingles.
Here are 5 reasons you should have a semi-annual roof maintenance done to prolong your roof’s lifespan.
1 – Semi-Annual Roof Maintenance – Repair Loose Shingles
Having a roof maintenance performed will allow your roof technician to catch any potential problems that have started, from getting any worse. For example, loose shingles are simple to slide back in place and re-nail. However, if they aren’t attended to, they’ll fall off the roof. Then you’ll have a leak, and a missing shingle issue. We’ll prevent that from happening.
2 – Proper Roof Ventilation Adds Life to Your Roofing
During the maintenance, we’ll check to see if you have proper ventilation on your roof. We recommend having a continuous ridge vent, which is the best ventilation available for asphalt roofing systems. We use Cobra III vents. If we find you don’t have proper ventilation, we can install these vents on your roof for you. The better your roof is ventilated, the longer it will last. When a roof doesn’t have proper ventilation, it basically bakes from beneath in the hot summer sun. Plus, a cooler attic, means lower cooling bills. It’s a win-win.
3 – Repair or Replace Plumbing Boots When Needed
Another issue that will help prolong your roof’s life is replacing pipe jack vents… or plumbing boots when needed. These plumbing boots typically last about 8 – 10 years. Then they begin dry rotting and cracking. Once this begins, you’ll start having minor leaking which may be undetected. This is not a good thing because it can start mold growth you aren’t even aware of.
I would say that these plumbing boots are the main cause for roof leaks out of every other issue. We will let you know when you need new ones and install them for you as part of your roof maintenance. But if we’re not checking the roof every couple years, you won’t even know this is happening.
4 – Re-Caulking Specific Parts of Your Roof System is Critical
Re-caulking is needed from time to time. There are specific parts to your roof system that are caulked with a high-grade, premium roof sealant at the time of installation. At least when ResCom installs your roof, we use the best. Well, these areas need to be re-caulked every few years. These include; exposed nails head, flashing, HVAC vents, plumbing vents, and any other areas the installers see that caulk is needed. Having this done periodically will absolutely prolong the life of your roof system and prevent unnecessary leaks.
5 – Replace or Repair Wind Damaged Roof Shingles
Replace or repair any wind damaged shingles. During high winds, which are common here in the Atlanta area, it is common to have shingles lift up, and become damaged. When this happens, it will actually crease the shingle. If these creased shingles go undetected and un-repaired, they will eventually break off, causing roof leaks. If we catch them, which we will during the semi-annual roof maintenance, we can simply use the premium roof sealant such as NP1 to glue them back down. Worst case scenario… we’ll have to replace the damaged shingle. Either way it’s much better to know about it and take care of it than to ignore it. Just like anything else in life… ignoring won’t make it go away, it just makes it worse.
These are 5 common issues that if caught in time, can prevent further damage to your roof and the other parts of your home. It’s just smart to make sure your roof remains in good condition. After all, it is your first line of defense against the storms that Mother Nature throws at you.
Our semi-annual roof maintenance typically runs between $350 – $575 – depending on the size, height, and pitch of your roof. Call today to schedule a Free of Charge roof inspection and we’ll be happy to give you an exact price. Also, if you opt for the semi-annual roof maintenance while we’re doing your full roof replacement, we’ll give you a better rate.
Contact us today. Call (470) 222-8512