Regularly taking a look at the condition of your roof can save you huge amounts of money on major repairs later. The biggest enemy of your roof, as well as the structure underneath is certainly water. If water can find a way into roofing, it will! Tiny damage builds up over time and becomes worse and worse.

If you can stop a roofing problem earlier, you’ll only be paying for the cost of the repair! If you wait, you’ll need to repair the structure underneath, and that can add up quickly. Undetected problems can be catastrophic.

If you own property in an HOA community, performing regular roofing inspections may be part of your CC and R’s. Here are some tips on how to make sure your inspections are done right.

Step 1: Safety first!

Be extremely careful when climbing up on your roof. Though maintenance personnel and property owners can often climb up carefully, there are other situations where you should have a trained professional carry out the inspection.

Make sure you choose the correct ladder. The shorter it is, the steeper the climb, if it’s not quite tall enough. Make sure the ladder can handle the weight of the people climbing on it.

Place the ladder about 4 feet away from the base of the wall to give you the best climbing angle. Then, use a bungee cord to attach the ladder to the gutter so it doesn’t fall over. Always keep 3 points of contact on the ladder at all times: eg., 2 legs and a hand; or 2 arms and one leg.

If your roof is especially high or steep, call a professional.

Step 2: Check the easy stuff first!

A lot of roof problems can be detected without even climbing up a ladder. Take a walk around your property. Look for signs of moisture damage like:

• Mildew: you might see it or smell it
• Mold: building up on ceilings or walls, both interior and exterior
• Water stains: often times you’ll see brownish stains on patches of the ceiling
• Paint bubbles: a sure sign water is underneath
• Peeling paint: when the damage adds up, you’ll see the paint flaking off.

If it’s actively raining, you might actually see drops of water falling, or patches of moisture. Any unexplained pools of water on the floor need to be investigated to see where the water is coming from. Remember too that if it’s not raining, you probably won’t see water, but you can still see the damage.

Step 3: Check for debris on the roof

Once you safely climb up on top of your roof, you need to check for debris. Usually this is in the form of leaves, twigs, branches and things like that. If this debris builds up, it interferes with the way that water is designed to flow off into the gutters.

Be especially mindful of gutters, drains, valleys and anywhere else. Bring a broom or leaf blower to clear off the roof.

Fungus, algae, moss and mold have been known to develop on roofs. This needs to be properly cleared away, or more damage will result over time.

You certainly don’t want anything living on your roof or in any pipes, gutters or other structures. Find a humane way to move any nests or creatures to a more appropriate home!

Step 4: Check for roof damage

Look around and see if there are any broken or cracked shingles or tiles. They’ll probably need to be replaced. If a roof is gravel and it’s thinned out in spots, that will need to be addressed.

One thing you might spot in an asphalt shingle roof is “curling.” This is when the corners of the tiles start to curl upwards. When that happens, water can easily get underneath, causing water damage.

Step 5: Checking important areas

There are certain areas that need special focus as they are often the main source of water intrusion.

Skylights:

Skylights may have a lifespan that is less than the roof. They are a very common source of leaks. Check around the skylight carefully and make sure all shingles, flashing andthe roof membrane are intact.

Flashing:

Any flashing needs to be very carefully looked at. Any damaged flashing can allow major damage underneath.

Soil Stacks:

These are another common culprit for leaks and damage. You need to check the condition of the boot and area around it. It may need to be replaced. Doing so before any damage is a great way to save money!

Another thing to check is any areas of flashing. If there are any gaps showing between flashing and the shingles, this could be a really serious problem.

Step 6: Check the gutters and downspouts

The whole point of carefully sealing the roof is so that water runs off into gutters, then the downspouts, then away from the house. If gutters and downspouts are clogged, water can back up and flow into vulnerable areas like flashing or even under shingles.

Cleaning gutters is never a fun task! You might want to consider a gutter cleaning service to really get them fully flowing. Installation of gutter guards can also be a good idea if you are in an area that has a high level of leaves and other debris flying in the air.

It’s not just cleaning the gutters that’s important. Over time or through poor installation, gutters may not be tilted correctly, so water will flow away from downspouts and back up in other areas. These issues will have to be addressed.

Conclusion:

Like so many other areas of property maintenance, it’s vital to get ahead on these items before they lead to much bigger problems.

Most people don’t know they have a roof leak until the water is dripping on their floor. This means that much of the damage is already done. If preventative maintenance was done earlier, the overall cost and inconvenience would have been much less!

By spotting problems early, you can have a qualified, licensed professional roofer like Horizon Roofing make repairs and keep you safe and dry the next time there’s a storm!

Sources:

https://www.facilitiesnet.com/roofing/article/How-To-Conduct-a-Proper-Roof-Inspection–17571
https://renovationdojo.com/how-to-get-on-a-second-story-roof/
https://firstamericanroofing.com/how-to-inspect-a-roof/
https://www.certainteed.com/how-to-inspect-roof/
https://bmroofing.com/how-to-inspect-a-roof/