Your roof is one of the most important and most expensive elements of your home. To prolong the life of your roof and protect your South Jersey home against water intrusion and mold damage, you should conduct regular roof maintenance checks at least twice a year. Ideally, you should conduct full checks at least once during fall and once during mid to late spring, with quick partial checks in between when possible. Regular assessments ensure early detection of roof related issues that can be fixed right away to prevent further, more costly damage.
Roof Maintenance Tips New Jersey:
A neglected roof can leave your New Jersey home vulnerable to serious damage and expensive repairs. It is well worth it to set aside some time a couple times a year to take care of your roof and complete necessary roof maintenance. After all, a new roof is an expensive investment, so you want to try to keep it for as long as possible. The following is a quick list of roof maintenance tips for New Jersey homeowners.
- Schedule regular roof inspections: a trained professional has the necessary skills, tools and experience to spot potential roof damage in its early stages. Regular inspections will increase the odds of catching the problem early on, so you can fix it right away.
- Pay attention to roof flashings: A majority of leaks occur at flashings. Good news: flashings are easy to fix. Make sure that flashings are tightly and properly installed around chimneys, vents, skylights, and wall/roof junctions.
- Do not block ventilation: If your roof ventilation is blocked, heat and moisture will build up in your attic area. This moisture build up, over time, will lead to rafter and sheathing wood rot, roof shingles will buckle, and attic insulation will lose its effectiveness. Proper attic ventilation will help prevent structural damage caused by moisture, increase roofing material life, reduce energy consumption and enhance the comfort level of the rooms below the attic.
- Conduct routine gutter and downspout maintenance: Gutters and downspouts are naturally prone to debris and blockage. During the winter, water that collects in the gutter tends to freeze over, worsening your blockage. Make it a habit to regularly check and clean your gutters. If a blockage occurs and allows water back up, it can leave your roof vulnerable to damage. Water can back up under your roof shingles and do serious damage to your shingles and, eventually, your roof.
- Immediately replace missing or torn shingles: Missing or torn shingles leave patches of your roof vulnerable to water damage a rot. If not remedied immediately, the problem is likely to spread to nearby shingles and worsen the problem.
- Control your landscaping: Keep trees and bushes away from your home when possible. Yes, trees and bushes provide great aesthetics to a properly, but they can also cause problems.
- Trees and bushes provide damp shade for moss and algae to grow on moist wood shingles and shakes. They can hold more moisture to a roof system’s surface, causing rot and deterioration.
- If you must have the trees and bushes, make sure they are trimmed away from your home. It will help to eliminate damp, shaded areas.
- Neatly groomed trees and bushes will help to avoid scratching and gouging of the roof surface by branches.
- It will also limit the chance of loose branches falling into the gutters and causing a blockage.
During any maintenance tasks, keep your eyes peeled for any signs of potential problems. Take this opportunity to identify any problems and address them before it leaves you with a costly repair. Learning how to spot the signs of roof damage, can make all the difference in prolonging the lifespan of your roof.
Discovering a Roof Leak in New Jersey
Sometimes, despite roof maintenance and taking all the necessary precautions, roof damage can be unpredictable. If serious roof damage has left you with significant water intrusion and serious water damage in your home, you need to contact an emergency water damage restoration company to help. A trained and certified water damage professional will have the appropriate equipment and training to properly extract the water and dry out your property to prevent further water damage and avoid potential mold development. In the event that water from a roof leak has caused mold growth in your South Jersey home, you will need to consult a mold remediation professional in South Jersey to properly address your mold problem.
When the unexpected happens, do not panic. MasterTech Environmental’s NJ emergency water restoration Team is available 24/7 to come to your rescue. Remember, it only takes 24-48 hours for mold to begin to develop in areas experiencing major water exposure, so call a professional right away upon discovery. If you suspect the water has been there for a while, and you are concerned about mold development, you should consider a certified mold inspection of your NJ home.
