Three Spring Dangers to Your Roof

A roofing contractor can inspect your roof and look for any damage or potential dangers. There are three spring dangers to your roof that you should be aware of. To be safe, it’s best to have your roof inspected every spring season.

The three most common spring dangers to your roof include:

Wind and Rain

Heavy rains and high winds can damage a roof, especially if any shingles are already loose or deteriorating. With heavy rains can come roof leaks, too, so your roofing contractor will look for loose shingles, rotted boards, and any other damage that can cause leaks in your roof. Curling or bubbling shingles can easily be caught by high winds and ripped from your roof.

The combination of wind and rain is especially harmful. High winds can loosen shingles, and wind-driven rain can work its way into even the smallest cracks. If any part of your roof is old or deteriorating, wind and rain will make it much worse.

Overhanging Trees

Overhanging tree branches can be a danger to your roof. Keep tree branches trimmed and preferably away from your roof as much as possible. Falling branches can ruin your shingles and damage your roof, especially the larger ones. Spring’s high winds and heavy rains can cause branches to fall, but so can heavy snow in the winter.

Even if branches don’t fall, overhanging branches can damage your shingles. One of the most common types of damage from low-hanging branches occurs when heavy rain and wind cause branches to scrape along the roof. The scraping motion loosens the protective gravel coating on the asphalt shingles. Without the coating, the asphalt is directly exposed to UV light from the sun and quickly degrades.

Debris

Debris on your roof can cause long-term damage. Remove any twigs, leaves, and other debris that have fallen on your roof over the fall and winter seasons. Standing debris can hold onto water, keeping your roof moist long after any ain has stopped. The moisture can cause rot, mold, and damage to shingles and roof boards. Plus, embers from a nearby fire could reach any debris on your roof and spark a flame causing a house fire. Keep your roof free from debris at all times with regular cleanings and inspections.

Other Dangers

If you live in an area where you get snow, keep in mind that heavy snows can sit on a roof causing damage from the weight and the melting liquid. Ice dams can form at the edge of your roof when heavy snows are followed by slightly warmer days and colder nights. The main section of your roof may become heated from the sun and radiant heat from inside the home. The edge of the roof that overhangs the house is much colder. As snow melts on the main part of the roof, it flows down to the edge where it freezes. Once a significant ice dam has formed in this way, new melting snow has nowhere to go. The water accumulates on your roof and finds any way it can to flow downward. Even the tiniest holes and cracks can become significant roof leaks.

This year, make it a plan to call a roofer for a full inspection before the spring season kicks off. A quality roofer can identify and prevent spring dangers to your roof, saving you time, trouble, and money down the line.