A roof protects your home from outside elements. Knowing a few things about your roof can help you spot a problem before it starts. Roof leaks can cause damage far beyond the roof itself. The wood below can become soft or rotten. The moisture could encourage bugs to take up residence in your rafters. Or a leak can cause extensive damage to the ceiling, walls, floors or furniture.
I once heard a story about a man who had a leaky roof. This man decided he was going to try to fix the problem himself and keep the water from causing any more damage inside the house. When a roofer was finally called in, he found a series of gutters hung from the rafters in the attic room with a spout running out the window! I guess the man found a way to keep the water from coming inside the rest of the house!
A qualified roofer will notice damage and potential problems with your roof long before you as the homeowner will. But there are a few things you can do yourself to see if your roof is still in good shape.
One thing you can look for from the ground is a nail that pokes up through the shingles. As your house and roof get older the boards shrink and expand with the heat and cold. This sometimes causes nails to work up from the decking boards and puncture the shingles above them. If you stand back from your house and scan across the roof, you may be able to see a nail that has come up through a shingle. This might not be leaking now, but as the sun and wind deteriorate the shingles, it will make a bigger opening and eventually leak into the house.
You might need to fix your roof if your shingles are getting curled on the ends or buckled in the middle. This is a sign that the basic integrity of the shingle is gone. It may be keeping the water out, but it won’t be doing its job for long. There are granules, like little stones, of different colors on the surface of every shingle. These granules wear away over time. Rain, wind, snow and ice and take a few granules with them as they go across your roof. These granules are what protect the shingle base from the sun. The asphalt in the shingle is easily deteriorated once it is exposed. So keep an eye out for excessive granules on the ground, or in the gutter after a rain.
Sometimes your roof will become discolored. Black or green mold may begin to grow on top of the shingles. Or sometimes sap from the surrounding trees will drip on the roof and stain the shingles. This may look bad but is not causing any real damage to your roof. You will want to find someone to fix your roof however if you see moss growing on the roof. Moss can lift the shingles allowing water to flow under the tabs and leak into your home.
Another sign that you may have a leaky roof, but not yet see it in the interior of your home is ants. A trail of ants headed up the side of your house and into the rafter is a good sign that they have a dry place to live, with a source of water. Although your house may be dry inside, there is probably a leak developing which will need some attention soon.
The small rectangular pieces you see are the tabs of the shingles. These can sometime blow off during a storm and need to be replaced to prevent any water from coming in through the roof. And if a limb or branch ever falls on the roof, have it removed carefully. Then have the roof inspected for damage such as missing shingle tabs or a roof puncture.
Sometimes a roof can be fixed with a simple roof repair. Sometimes you will need an entire roof replacement.
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