Tips for Spring Roofing Maintenance

Roofs can be expensive to replace, but they’re even more expensive if you don’t take care of them.

If you’ve noticed any signs of trouble with your roof this winter, now is the time to take action.

The harsh Minnesota winter weather can damage roofs in many ways: from rain and snow falling on them to ice dams forming and causing water to leak into your home. Winter is especially hard on older roofs that are getting close to the end of their service life. Now that winter is coming to an end, it’s time to assess the potential damage done to your roof by the harsh winter weather, and seek repairs or get help if it’s needed.

A simple roof inspection in the spring can fix problems before it causes costly damage. Once you’ve inspected your roof and identified potential problems, you’ll know what needs to be fixed. This can make it easier for you find a roofing specialist who can help you!

What should you be inspecting? Start with: shingles, flashing (the metal pieces that go over vents), gutters (to keep water from leaking into your house), downspouts (to divert rainwater away from your foundation), soffit or fascia (the part underneath where water drains).

Check for Damage

When you’re inspecting your roof, make sure to check out the following areas:

Loose or damaged shingles. Are there any potential holes in the shingles on your roof? Do you see the shingles curling up along the edges, or cracked and damaged shingles? This is a sign that your shingles are nearing the end of their service life.

Nail pops. Sometimes nails push up from beneath shingles, causing the shingle to rise up with the nail. This can easily lead to shingle damage, like tears and cracks. If the nail pops up all the way, then this could eventually lead to a lost shingle. Nails can easily be hammered back in place, if you identify the problem early enough.

Soffits and vents. Check these areas for damage. Vents can become clogged or damaged by animals trying to enter your house. Flashing is what we call those strips of metal that line the edges of your chimney, vents and more—flashing can become easily damaged and may need to be replaced earlier than other parts of your roof. Fungus or algae on your roof can cause stains—this damage is mostly cosmetic but it could impact how appealing your home looks.

Look in the Attic

After you’ve looked at your roof from the outside of your home, go ahead and take a look in your attic if it is easily accessible. What you’re looking for here are any signs of light entering from the outside. If you see light beaming in from the outside, this means that you could have a hole in your roof, which can lead to leaks as it begins to rain more often in spring.

If water can enter your home by way of an entry in your roof, other parts of your home become much more susceptible to other forms of damage as well. If you don’t see any light beaming in, you might be in good shape. But if you do, you’ll want to call a roofing professional right away to fix your roof this spring.

Gutters

Spring a good idea to clean out your gutters and downspouts. If your gutters are clogged, rain won’t drain properly. Water can overflow the gutters and cause serious structural damage to your foundation over time. In addition, a gutter full of water is heavy and can damage the fascia boards on your roof.

Once you’ve taken the appropriate safety measures, it’s time to get down to business. Here, some helpful hints for getting your gutters ready for a new season:

• Remove leaves, sticks, needles and seeds from gutters, scooping out debris with a garden trowel or gloved hand.

• Don’t try to remove the debris with a hose because that may cause downspouts to clog.

• Remove the pasty goo made up from the tiny granules from asphalt roofing shingles that have mixed with dirt and water.

• Flush residual matter using a garden hose.

• To clean downspouts, turn on the hose full blast and thread into drain opening.

Call Roofing Professionals

Lastly, use the spring months to schedule a roof assessment. Normally roofing companies tend to get very busy in the summer months, so spring is a great time to make an appointment and check this off your list before roofing companies have less availability.

At Bold North Roofing, we offer complimentary inspections and estimates for your roof. In the event we find areas that need repair, we will let you know exactly what is required to get your roof back in great shape again. There is no obligation and you can have peace of mind knowing the exact condition of your roof.