The Most Common Causes of Roofing Problems
Roofing problems are no fun at all, and they can also be very costly to repair. Having an understanding of what the common causes of roofing problems are, however, can help you take the proper steps to maintain your roof and prevent any damage before it occurs.
Continue reading to learn about a few of the most common causes of roofing problems, and remember to hire professionals like those at www.hometownsiouxfalls.com whenever you need help with roofing repairs.
Broken Shingles
Broken shingles can be easy to see even from the ground, especially if you can see that there are missing shingles and, as a result, there are patches of various colors on the roof. You may even find some shingles around your house, such as in your yard, particularly after harsh winds or heavy rain. In fact, weather is usually the culprit when it comes to broken shingles, so it’s a good idea to inspect your roof after a storm, just to be sure everything looks good.
photo Alina Ku-Ku via Shutterstock
Clogged Gutters
Cleaning out your gutters thoroughly throughout the year is an important step you need to take if you want to maintain the strength of your roof. If you notice that there’s a lot of debris, such as a lot of leaves, sticking out from your gutters, or if you notice that there’s a lack of water that trickles out from the downspout of your house when it rains, your gutters are clogged. This prevents water from traveling away from your roof, so rain will end up pooling in an area of your roof, and it will have more of a chance to eventually penetrate through cracks and cause damage.
Cracked Flashing
Another really common cause of roofing issues is cracked flashing, which are the thin metal pieces installed beneath your roof’s shingles, as well as along the joints of the roof, as a means to set a water-resistant barrier in place. The flashing could be exposed or concealed, but if the flashing is exposed, they’ll appear like long sheet metal, whereas concealed flashing would have a rubberized coating. Broken flashing will have large cracks, which could be the result of the flashing being exposed to the elements.
Improperly Sealed Valley
A valley is a part of the roof where two planes join together. These areas are typically sloped, so if they aren’t properly sealed, water could easily get inside while it’s rolling down your roof. If there are any wet spots along your roof’s seams, you’ll know that the valleys aren’t properly sealed. The sealing might have cracked when it was stepped on, it may have eroded as a result of ice and rain, or it might not have been sealed properly all along.
These are just a few of the many causes of roofing problems, but, as you can see, some simple maintenance tasks can really make a difference in preventing these problems before they occur. Remember to hire professional roofers whenever there’s a task that you can’t do yourself, as getting on your roof can be dangerous.
Guest Author: Lolita Di
All of these are great tips to help home owners. I have worked in the industry for 15 years and have fixed a lot of these problems on a weekly basis. All very valid points.
I agree completely that you should not get up on a roof unless you know what you are doing. It can be a very dangerous place if you aren’t aware of what to look out for.
Safety always comes first.