Is Your Roof Past Its Peak?
It’s imperative to keep your roof in good working condition because it protects your home and its contents from rain, snow and sunlight. Because your roof is a complex structure exposed 24/7 to nature’s elements, there are a variety of issues that occur with it. It’s important to address small problems before they lead to larger ones. Early spring, after the snow is melted off the roof is a great time to access your roof to see if replacement or repair is needed. Below are details on common roofing issues and what their presence can suggest:
1-Buckling Shingles: This can occur when new shingles are placed on top of old shingles or the roof was not properly installed. It can also be a sign of poor ventilation. When the shingles buckle, it means that moisture is underneath them. This can often signal that a whole new roof is needed.
2-Water Spots on Your Ceiling: Discolored spots on your ceilings are caused by leaks in your roof. The damage doesn’t stop with the unsightly spots. Left ignored major damage can occur and a homeowner can be forced to also replace their ceilings and/or drywall.
3- Curling Shingles: There are several reasons this can happen. One is that the roofer disregarded the manufacturer’s nail per shingle recommendations. If a roof is inadequately insulated, moisture may build up in a home’s attic. Because it needs to go somewhere, it will slowly become trapped between the underlayment and shingles. Each shingle has an adhesive strip that connects it to the row below it. If that strip, called back coating, is not properly attached to the row below it curling can occur. Weather elements cause your roof to expand and contract. During this process, the nails holding your shingles down can be forced upwards which can cause shingles to curl.
4- Roof Rotting: Roofs begin to rot when the shingles have absorbed moisture all the way to the core. This is a serious matter and should be addressed as quickly as possible by a roofing professional.
5- Missing Shingles: This problem often occurs in the spring and cast be the result of high winds, ice and snow damage. Another possibility is that shingles were not installed correctly. Regardless, it’s important to call a roofing professional to get your roof back to its original condition. An untrained person trying to do this on their own can incorrectly replace the shingles which can cause your roof to leak.
6-Missing Granules: When a roof is first replaced, it’s normal to have some granules (small ceramic coated rock specs that cover an asphalt shingle’s surface) dislodged from the shingles. However, if this continues, your roof’s lifespan will be greatly decreased because the asphalt on your shingle has been exposed to weather elements. If you are noticing this problem on an older roof, it’s likely that it needs to be replaced.
7- Blistering: Blisters which look like bubbles just under the surface of your shingle’s granules are caused by moisture trapped in a shingle. The shingle may not need to be replaced until it breaks open. Once a shingle breaks open, it may become discolored and water leakage may become as issue.
8- Flashing that is Damaged: Roof flashing is a piece of sheet metal placed on the joints in a roof to keep water from seeping into the structure. It is installed before the shingles. Flashing that has not been installed correctly or is damaged can cause leaking. In some cases, flashing is able to be replaced in the damaged area only.
