Your roof is one of the most important lines of defense your home has. It has been estimated that an inch of rain means about 1500 gallons of water has fallen on your roof. If your roof is older, more than 20 years, or not of the best quality, it will be less able to deal with weather problems. If you are not sure if you should call a roofing company to replace your roof, take a look at these ways your roof will tell you when it needs replacing.
- Go into the attic and see if you can see sunlight coming through the roof. This is a sure sign that you may need to hire roofing contractors to look. Light coming through the roof is an indication of holes and cracks. You may not need a full roof replacement but you do need a roofing services company come in and repair it.
- If there are dark stains or streaks under the roof, that is a sign that you have moisture finding its way into your roof and causing damage. You will need to talk to a roofing company.
- If you see sagging areas, take a broom and gently prod the area. If you see that it bends easily or you are able to denote softness in the area, you have problems with damage from water and should call some roofing companies.
- Look for more obvious signs of water damage. Sometimes, when you are in your attic, you can see obvious signs that moisture is destroying your home. Obvious signs of water damage warrant a look from the local roofing company as soon as possible.
- When you walk around the roof itself, do you see dark stains and streaks? If you do, it is time to bring in a roofing contractor. You should also call in someone if you see obvious signs of water damage. Even really small issues need to be taken seriously because they will grow to be bigger problems. In fact, the sooner you fix the problems you find, the easier it will be.
- If you have an asphalt or wood roof, you should take a look for signs of rotting. If you see tiles that are rotten, you have tiles that are broken, you are missing some tiles, you may have to call in a roofing company to repair your roof.
- Look for algae and moss. If you have these on your roof, you may need to look into a roof replacement. Moss and algae are very common in people who live in very humid areas. They look terrible but also indicate bigger problems with your roof. For a quick fix, make a solution of water and hydrogen peroxide and spray that on the trouble areas. This can kill some of the moss and algae. You still need to bring in an expert to take a look.
- Look for signs of decay. If your roof has shingles, you may find signs of cracking and decay in the shingles. You will know you have decay if you see areas that are missing tiles or you see sports with cracked shingles, you should have the roof repaired or replaced.
- If you see parts of your shingles in your gutters, there is a lot of decay and water damage in your roof. This is a sure sign that you need a roof replacement.
- If you see flashing at the base of your chimney, that is a good sign that there is a lot of damage to your chimney. You will need to replace the flashing with a more durable material to save your chimney. Many people find success replacing flashing made with tar or roof cement with metal flashing.
- A “roof valley” can be a sign that your roof really needs to be replaced. If You see two parts sloping down, that is a roof valley. This will cause water to pool in the lowest point in your roof where it will destroy it.
Your roof’s integrity can mean it is protecting your home or helping to destroy it. If you make it a point to check your roof once each year for damage, you can catch it early and save it.