All good things must come to an end, including summer. As block parties and barbecues become less frequent and the kids head back to school for the fall, you seem to have some spare time on your hands. While the craziness of summer dies down making way for September, this is the perfect time to consider end-of-summer roof maintenance.
As great as summers can be, they come with their own set of challenges for homeowners. While sunny, warm days allow you to spend time outdoors with family and friends, extreme weather conditions like heat, humidity, and thunderstorms can wreak havoc on your roof. In fact, the blazing sun can damage your roof in more ways than you can imagine.
Since preventative maintenance is usually much cheaper than expensive roof repairs, maintaining your roof in its best condition should be your priority by the end of summer. Not only can it save you a lot of money and trouble, but it can also extend your roof’s life for years to come. RoofCrafters has been helping homeowners like you prolong the life of their roof with end-of-summer maintenance for nearly 3 decades now, and if there's one thing we know, it's that every homeowner should be taking proper care of their roof to avoid problems down the road.
Roof maintenance is something that is often ignored during the hotter months. As pool parties and concerts take up our social calendars, many of us put roof maintenance on the back burner. Not to mention, you don’t see your roof as often as other parts of your home, so it's easy to forget about roof maintenance altogether. We want to help you avoid any pesky problems that could be alleviated with routine end-of-summer maintenance, so stick around until the end of this article where you'll learn what precautions to take with your roof as this summer comes to an end. Let's get started!
Repair Shingles and Flashing
During the hotter months of the year, roofing materials tend to expand with rising temperatures and extreme heat. This expansion often leads to shingle displacement, cracking, and brittleness, especially in roofs that are over 10 to 15 years old. So, before fall kicks in, make sure to look for broken shingles or any gaps between shingles. Also, take some time to inspect the flashing around your chimney and vents. If the caulk around these areas has failed, it is likely that your shingles will give way too.
Inspect Gutters and Drains
Your gutters and drains divert the water flow away from your roof and home. So, if this pathway is blocked due to any reason, it can lead to moisture buildup, water backup, and other serious roofing problems. Therefore, it is important to keep your gutters and drains clean and flowing all year round. A lot of people feel that they need to clean them out during the fall season due to the leaf debris but things can get stuck in your gutters regardless of the time of the year.
This blockage in your drains can then cause water puddling on your roof, which often causes more damage to the decking as well as your attic. So, make sure your gutters are clean before fall begins. Once you have cleared the gutter blockage, also make sure that your gutters haven’t loosened during the colder months. This is important because a loose gutter with heavy debris is only an even bigger problem down the road.
Trim Your Trees
Storms are detrimental to your roofing system, so trimming the surrounding trees should also be an essential part of your maintenance routine. Large trees and overhanging branches can destroy a perfectly functional roofing system. If you have trees or heavy branches hanging over your roof, you should trim or remove them before any sort of storm. This part of roof maintenance is especially important before summer ends, as the most historically damaged storms tend to take place before fall here in the Southeast.
Check for Mold, Moss, and Algae
Summer heat is usually accompanied by storms and excessive humidity; These two conditions are ideal for algae growth. Gradually, algae can cause rot, damaging your shingles and ultimately leading to roof decay. However, it's not only the roof where you should look for algae growth. It can also be found in gutters due to water buildup. So, in summer, algae growth can especially damage your roof and gutters if it is left untreated.
Similarly, moss also causes roof damage by causing the shingles to curl and crack. Heavy moss coverage on your shingles can block water, retain moisture under the shingles, and over time damage the structural integrity. So, if you notice moss, mold, or algae on your roof, it is best to remove it yourself or get a professional roof inspection and repair to get rid of it.
Analyze Roof Insulation and Attic Ventilation
When it comes to insulation, most homeowners associate it with staying warm in the winter, but insulation can do much more than just keep you warm in brisk temperatures. In fact, insulation is just as critical to keeping your home cool during the summer as it is for keeping your house warm in the winter.
Insulation is important to keep a moderate climate within your home year-round. So, before you head into fall, make sure that your home has the right amount of insulation and that end-of-summer humidity or roof leaks have not caused any damage to it. Also, make sure your attic ventilation adequately regulates temperature and prevents moisture retention. A professional roof inspection in this regard can help you calculate the right ventilation for your roofing system.
Should I Maintain My Roof at the End of Summer?
You should absolutely consider maintaining your roof at the end of this summer. Every summer increases the damage to your roof, drawing you closer to a complete failure of your roofing system. An even bigger problem is that many homeowners do not realize the extent of how heat and humidity can be damaging to structural integrity. So, make sure your roof is in good working condition before having to face this fall and winter.
Since roof maintenance is critical to your roofing system’s life, it is important to take some time out for roof inspection and roof repairs. Adequate maintenance before hotter months can ensure that your roof can withstand storms and harsh weather conditions in the coming months. Be sure to contact your local roofing contractor and set up a time for a roof inspection before this summer ends.
RoofCrafters provides maintenance services throughout Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina. Drop us a line on our contact page, and one of our friendly representatives will set up an inspection at your earliest convenience. In the meantime, be sure to check out the extensive resources located in our learning center. I recommend reading, "Roof Maintenance Tips" next so that you can better understand how to keep your roof operating at its best all year round.
