Why You Need to Get a Springtime Roofing Inspection
After a tough Colorado winter, your roof is gasping for air. It’s been frozen and thawed; it’s hosted snow and ice, and watched it all melt and roll down its back. The winter winds have whipped its face and attempted to blow water up under flashing and roof tiles and into any crack or crevice leading to the house.
Your poor roof. It needs some tender loving care – pronto! And you’re just the person to provide it.
It’s a good idea to inspect your roof, either yourself or professionally once spring arrives, says Scott McIntyre, owner of Total Roofing in Colorado Springs. If winter has done any damage, you want to find and repair it before it becomes an avalanche.
Here are the problems to be on the look out for:
Torn or missing roof shingles. Your roof’s shingles are the first line of defense against the elements. If they are ripped or lost, it’s a good bet water has penetrated into the wood below and turned it into a breeding ground for mold and critters. If shingles are raised, it’s a tipoff that the wood beneath has become saturated and requires immediate attention.
Flashing at the base of chimneys, skylights and roof vents. The flashing’s only job is to keep water from infiltrating openings in the roof, such as the chimney and vents. Make sure it’s still up to the task before a small repair becomes an enormous issue. If the flashing is damaged, it needs to be replaced once a full inspection is completed.
Clogged gutters and downspouts. Wind pushes leaves and other debris into the gutters, creating a backlog of water when it rains or snow melts. If the water can’t make its way down the spout, it will find the next least resistance, which might be an opening somewhere else in the roof or outside the house. Make sure gutters and downspouts are cleaned out to avoid costly water damage.
The underside of your roof. Not all issues are visible from the ground, or from an inspection on the roof. Some issues only present themselves from underneath. Leaks, cracks or gaps in the roof sheathing mean there is nothing but a thin membrane between you and the bottom of the shingles. Rot and rust are red flags that Old Man Winter has managed to push water beneath the shingles. In either case, it demands immediate attention.
Inspect your skylights. If your skylights have “weep holes” to let condensation escape, they can become clogged with ice. That prevents water from escaping, potentially damaging the skylight and the roof around it. Skylights need to be visually inspected each spring to ensure they did not incur winter damage
All of these issues require the help of an experienced roofing professional. To schedule a roof inspection or for more information, visit Total Roofing or call (719) 591-4947 or 1-800-ROOF-PRO today.
