Many people tend to overlook the importance of roof maintenance, well, until it just so happens that your roof is leaking. This happens all too often, people forget to maintain their roof as it just seems like one of those things that are low maintenance, to begin with. While this is indeed true, there are some necessary precautions that you must take in order to avoid any issues.
These precautions might seem like a burden, but it will be worth it. Especially during this climate crisis. The weather is quite unpredictable and it is now more important than ever to be well protected. This advice will help you protect your house in case of leakage.
Choosing the right rooftop
The best way to fix a leakage is to prevent it from happening in the first place. There are many types of rooftops and they can not only protect your home but also make it more stylish. If you want a roof that is the easiest to maintain, the team specialized in professional roofing in Portland explains that metal roofing is the toughest. If you are looking for a more stylish roof, you can choose copper roofing.
You can have the roofing installed by yourself or have someone else do it for you. It is often much better to have someone else do the roofing, especially if you are replacing the whole roof. If you do it by yourself you can get yourself injured, or even worse, injure someone else.
Check other possible sources of leakage
Other structures on the roof may be the possible source of leakage. The most common places might be roof vents or chimneys. Both of these problems are fixable.
Roof vents
Roof vents are there to provide passage of hot or humid air out of an attic. This is very important in order to prevent the growth of unwanted mold. These structures can form cracks around them from which water can pour. People often make the mistake of just caulking the cracks (caulk is a type of material used to seal these kinds of gaps), but that will not serve as a permanent solution.
The roof vent needs to be completely replaced. This sounds like a troublesome job but it is not. You will need a pry bar to remove the nails holding the vent. Once removed you need to remove the shingles (the overlapping shapes, most commonly rectangular). Only after that can you install the new vent. Depending on the vent and the state of your shingles you will either need to cement it to hold it in place, or simple caulking can do the trick.
Chimney
Fixing chimney leakage can be trickier than it seems. You can not simply remove it like a vent. To fix a leakage here, you can install new flashing (the thin metal used to direct the course of water). This can be quickly done, but sometimes it is not enough to permanently fix the problem. If the problem keeps happening you might need to contact an expert.
Maintain the roof
Once you have installed a new roof or fixed the existing problems, the job is not done. You need to maintain the roof so the leakage does not occur again. Most people take roof gutters (the horizontal metal that is on the edge of the roof and collects rain) for granted as they can clean themselves. Unfortunately, you need to unclog from all the gunk that can be stuck there.
Even though green roofs are popular now, not every roof with plants on it is a green roof. If you have an ordinary roof and notice some plants (most commonly moss) growing there you need to remove it. The roots of these plants can bury deep into the roof and cause serious damage which some simple fixes can not repair.
Roof leakage is a serious problem of which is not thought of too much until it happens. Luckily for you, this problem can be easily avoided. Installing a new roof seems like a big hassle but it can come a long way if you encounter leakage frequently. It will not only provide better shelter, but it can also insulate the home better and make your home more stylish.
Sometimes the leakage can come from other structures on the roof. Roof vents and chimneys are the usual sources of this kind of leakage and both can be fixed. All of the mentioned pieces of advice will not work if you continue to take your roof for granted. You need to maintain them by cleaning the gutters and plucking the plants that might grow in there.
