Here in the Southwest, we tend to ignore our roof. One of the most critical features of our home, because we have so many days of sunshine every year. Then the monsoon season comes and all of a sudden we regret not doing our routine maintenance because we have a big, expensive problem with roof maintenance during winter.
You can only expect your roof to last about half as long as it should if you don’t regularly maintain it. Your roof accumulates damage every day from the elements – rain, the hot sun, even pests and people walking on it. Pile on to that the even more intense heat and periodic heavy rains from the monsoon season and it’s a disaster waiting to happen. You could have a big roof repair just waiting to happen and you’re completely ignorant of it.
Before the monsoon season begins, at least once every year, you should have your roof inspected – especially if its a flat roof and its over 15 years old. Our roofs here in Arizona get hit the hardest during the winter rain between December and February and the monsoon season between June and September. When it rains here, we have drops in temperature that happen suddenly, causing thermal shock, compromising your roof’s surface.
In your roof’s warranty, it probably has a clause that voids the warranty if you’re not properly maintaining it, so its critical to keep up with regular maintenance, schedule routine inspections and fix any necessary problems as soon as possible.
If you’re not scared of getting on your roof, here’s a couple things you can do to increase your roof’s lifespan. Take the correct safety steps if you do, because one of the leading causes of serious accidents around a home is falling off a ladder. Also, be careful walking on it, especially if its older. You can cause some serious damage and weaken your roof if you do.
There are some roofing issues that you should leave to a professional roofing contractor. Find an experienced, licensed, professional roofer like Mikku and Sons Roofing if you find any of these problems: