What Should You Check This Spring For Roofing?

The bitter cold of winter has passed, and the vibrancy of spring is finally here. It’s a nice time to get outside and enjoy the mild air (or stay inside to cope with April showers). Regardless of how you like to spend this season, it’ll be a lot easier to enjoy it if your responsibilities are also taken care of, such as ensuring that your house is in good shape.

Now would be a good time to check up on your roof and see what needs maintenance. We’ve decided to do some of the legwork for you by compiling a roof spring maintenance checklist for you to reference.

Your gutters can do a remarkable job of draining rain from your roof and making them go down through downspouts and away from your home. Without them, the water could leak into your home through the windows or basement. However, it can be a problem when they get filled with dirt, debris and leaves, which can happen when the wind decides to blow them off the tree and deposit them on your roof.

If left unchecked, debris can turn into soil, growing algae. It’d be best to avoid all of that by checking on your gutters and cleaning out whatever may be stuck inside.

While cleaning your gutters by hand, the first thing you’ll want to do is put on rubber gloves, long sleeves and boots. Secondly, you should put a tarp on the ground where you will be doing the job. That way, the debris will fall into something that makes it easy to dispose of them. Thirdly, you will need to find a way to reach the gutters, so make sure you have a sturdy ladder.

Step ladders are not the best idea because they can tip over if you are not balanced properly, so you may be better off using an extension ladder to get to your roof. Ideally, you should also have someone hold the ladder steady at the bottom.

There are gutter scoops that are designed specifically for this job. You can get them from Walmart, Home Hardware and any other hardware store. Finally, scoop the debris out of your gutters onto your tarp and then hose them down to ensure they’re clean.

The next item on our spring roof maintenance checklist is the roof itself, which might have asphalt shingles, metal roofing, concrete tiles, cedar shake, or slate. Click here to learn more about the different kinds and their pros and cons.

Through all of the challenging weather that your roof has endured in the past few months, there’s a chance that it has been damaged, so it’s essential to inspect it. The kind of damage can depend on the type of material your roof has. For example, if you have slate tiles, they may be rusted and let in water. If you have cedar shakes, they might show signs of dry rot, which is decay caused by fungi consuming parts of the shingles that give it sturdiness and strength. It’s good to know what you’re looking for, and a trained professional can help.

It’s that time when leaves are growing on trees again. It’s nice to see, but it could create several issues if you have trees around your house. For starters, it could provide shade over your roof that creates damp areas for mould and algae to grow.

It could also provide a way for animals to get into your house, such as raccoons, squirrels and mice. There’s also a chance that tree branches could break off and land on your roof. To avoid all of these issues, have the branches of these trees trimmed.

The next item on our spring roof maintenance checklist is your attic. While checking the shingles on your roof is one way to spot damage that leaks, another is to observe a portion of your house where the water can get into.

If your roof’s shingles are effective, your attic should be dry; it shouldn’t have any wet spots. Also, if more light is getting in than usual, that could indicate cracks where both light and liquid seep through, and this excessive moisture without proper attic ventilation can cause mould spores, which may appear as black dots and smudges on the walls. They can cause headaches, eye irritation, coughing, wheezing and more.

Spring is a pleasant time for all, but it’s also the time to use the steps above to do your annual spring roof maintenance inspection.

If you aren’t an expert, it’s hard to know how thoroughly you’ve looked over the different parts of your house and assessed the risks. That’s why you should contact Tony’s Roof Repair for a roof inspection in Calgary. They will give your roofing a detailed and professional inspection and offer services to fix up the broken parts. Click here to learn about their roofing services and experience.