Roof Maintenance

 

Roofing is the most important part of a home's weatherproofing a leaking roof can cause a lot of damage in a relatively short period of time. Take these steps to keep your roof in great shape.
Tools & Materials:

• Ladder
• Stiff bristled broom
• Flat bar
• Rag
• Newspaper
• Painters' tape
• Rust inhibiting spray paint
• Razor knife
• Replacement shingles
• 7/8-inch roofing tacks
• Hammer
• Roofing cement
• Replacement lead jack for vent stack
• Rain diverter metal
• Aviation sheers

Roof Assessment
Giving your roof a regular check up is the best way to avoid costly repairs. The best way to inspect your roof is to get right up there and take a look around. If you're not comfortable on a ladder or of getting on a sloped surface you may want to call a professional roofer to do an inspection. Your roof inspection should include:

• Making sure valleys are clear of leaves and debris.
• Looking for damaged or missing shingles.
• Inspecting roof jacks around plumbing vent stacks for rust or wear.

Clean Valleys
Neglecting to clean valleys can cause water to dam up and push its way into your home. Use a stiff broom to sweep the valleys free of leaves and debris. This may be enough for shingle valleys that are woven together but rust should be addressed with metal valleys. If there are holes in the metal valleys the metal will need to replaced. To battle the rust itself start with a flat bar and scrape away as much of the rust as you can. Wipe the metal clean and mask it off with newspaper. Apply several light coats of rust inhibiting spray paint to the metal.

Damaged Shingles
Shingles don't last forever and often suffer damage from tree limbs scraping their surface, wind gusts and other weather events. To avoid bigger problems damaged shingles should be replaced. Use a flat bar to remove the damaged shingle, remove the tabs and cut the shingle away with the hook blade on a razor knife. When you have an isolated incident you can replace an individual tab just as easily as an entire shingle. Take you razor knife and cut individual tabs, slip it right in place and use7/8-inch roofing tack to secure. You'll also want to drive a nail in under the tab itself. Continue in this manner and once you're done come back with a little roofing cement. This will help keep moisture from penetrating the newly repaired area.

Roof Jack Repair
Once you're on the roof you may find that the lead roof jacks, such as those around plumbing vent stacks, have teeth marks or other wear on them. Oddly enough, this is often caused by squirrels trying to sharpen their teeth. Replacements are easy to find and install. Start by using a flat bar to remove the old lead jack and the shingle directly above it if needed. Use the removed shingle as a template and cut a new replacement shingle. Place the new lead jack over the vent stack and secure it by driving a couple nails into the flange. Next, carefully position the new shingle around the vent stack. Lift the shingles and drive a nail in at the top of all your gaps. Once the shingle is secure, use a hammer to bend the lead jack over the vent stack opening.