Spring Maintenance Tips for your Roof
It is with a collective sigh of relief that Canadians tend to welcome the arrival of spring. Saying goodbye to snow and ice after the winter months, and the return of milder weather always feels like everything comes back to life. Just as spring brings with it the desire for “spring cleaning”, so too does your roof need some attention, and professional roofers can be of enormous help.
Here are just a few essential spring maintenance tips for your rooftop:
- Check your gutters. Even if you’ve already done this after the autumn leaves fell (and you should have!), snow and ice build-up can create various issues for gutters and downspouts. Properly-functioning gutters protect your home by preventing pooling and build-up of moisture in the roof, as well as discouraging the growth of mould. Do a check around your entire house from ground level to make sure no gutters or downspouts have become loose. Inspect from gutter-level (using a stable ladder) and make sure there are no blockages, and that water flows freely down spouts and away from the home’s foundations.
It’s also a good idea to trim back overhanging trees so that branches, leaves, and other debris is not dropped directly onto your rooftop.
- Check your shingles. Winter can wreak havoc on shingles, and these will need to be inspected each spring. This needs to be done from the roof. Look for signs of damage including warping, cracks, grain loss, discolouration, and missing shingles. The small grains of rock and mineral on shingles help offer protection from wind, rain, and heat. Shingles that are cracked, broken, or too smooth require replacement.
- Inspect fascias, soffits and vents for bird and animal nests and debris. Any critters will need to be humanely evicted and their nests removed.
- Flashing needs to be checked and repaired if it has deteriorated or been otherwise damaged. This is particularly crucial around chimneys, skylights, and rooftop valleys. Damaged or loosened flashing can cause leaks.
- Inside your home, check for visible water marks on your ceiling and in your attic space. The source of leaks needs to be found and repaired to avoid further damage and growth of mould and mildew.
Contact local professional roofers like our great team at Dykstra Knight Roofing & Renovations for all of your rooftop maintenance and repair needs, including spring inspections and maintenance.