There’s nothing like relaxing during the summer. But you shouldn’t get too relaxed yet, because your roof definitely could use summer maintenance! Here in Charleston, South Carolina, the peak of hurricane season is in September. So don’t wait until then to take care of your roof.
By routinely inspecting your roof or hiring a professional, you can prevent immense amounts of damage from occurring to your home. So while you have more time on your hands during the summer, consider what you can do to maintain your roof! If you can’t think of anything, don’t worry! We here at Roofing USA have a list of what you can do to protect your home from unnecessary damage this hurricane season.
1. Inspect and Clean Your Gutters
Cleaning your gutters is a significant step in maintaining your roof during the summertime. Down here in the south, it rains a lot during the summer. These summer rains bring debris into gutters. When too much debris builds up, the ran has nowhere to flow. Eventually, the water will cause damage to your roof.
When cleaning your gutters, it is essential to ensure that water has a clear pathway to follow. Leaves and sticks might pose barriers to excess rainwater. Don’t also forget to check the downspouts where the water rushes out to the ground! Blockages can also occur at this point of your gutters.
2. Remove Large Overhanging Tree Limbs
The trees look beautiful during Charleston summers, but their limbs pose threats to your home’s roof. When tree limbs are large and heavy, they are especially dangerous over your house. During a summertime storm, they could easily fall and damage shingles. Tree limbs can also sweep across the roof of your home, ripping up shingles or cracking them.
However, by trimming those specific tree limbs, you can avoid any potential damages caused by them. Of course, you don’t have to trim away every branch, just those that could severely damage your roof.
3. Routinely Remove Debris
Along with trimming away limbs, you should also routinely remove any debris that has fallen on your roof. Even if you are cleaning out your gutters regularly, your entire roof still needs routine tidying. However, if you routinely remove leaves and tree limbs, you will find that your gutters are also easier to maintain. The reason for this being that there is less debris building up over time.
If you fail to remove debris, you will find that it will eventually cause your shingles to rot. Deteriorating shingles weaken the barrier between your home and water. If your roof damages are beyond a simple repair, you may have to replace it entirely.
4. Check Your Shingles
While you remove debris, you should also check for any damaged shingles. They can deteriorate over time, which is entirely normal! If you notice only one or two shingles are damaged, you can quickly repair them. By patching these areas in your roof, you will help prevent leaks and other water damage.
Ignoring your damaged shingles can result in severe leaks, potentially flooding areas of your home. On the other hand, simple repairs extend the life of your roof while also possibly saving you money during hurricane season.
5. Identify Any Existing Water Damage
One last thing to do while on your roof is to check for any existing water damage. Small leaks can occur here and there without you knowing about them! Typically, you will see dark spots on your roof, which are indicative of a leak. Make sure to tackle these areas quickly! When there is water damage, mold is not too far behind. Therefore, the quicker you repair leaks, the less likely mold damage will spread into your home.
You can keep up with roof maintenance by regularly documenting what your roof looks like through pictures. This will help you track any changes over time!
6. Call Roofing USA for Your Roofing Needs
Maybe being up on your roof isn’t for you. That’s okay; we here at Roofing USA have your back. We can perform routine roof inspections and maintenance. By completing these on your home, you can prevent severe damages during hurricane season.
Call our Charleston, SC, roofing professionals today for all of your repair and maintenance needs.
