A good majority of the people that we go see have little to no experience in the roofing industry. Most people only have to think about replacing their roof 2 or 3 times in their life. Because of this fact they usually don’t have a very good idea on how to inspect their roof and identify any problem areas. I have put together a list of 6 common signs that you should have your roof inspected by a professional.
1) Granular Loss:
The ceramic granules on your shingles do nothing for waterproofing. They are only there to protect the asphalt from the suns harmful UV rays. There are a few different reasons that the shingles will loose their granules. One cause of granular loss is from human interaction. Every time you walk on your roof you loose granules. The second cause is from improper ventilation. If your roof is not properly ventilated the shingles will heat up from the underside making them expand and soften which loosens up the granules and they fall off Leaving the asphalt exposed to the sun.
2) Exposed Fiberglass:
If you can see white showing on the edges or all through out your shingles then you have Fiberglass showing. What this means is that the asphalt has dissipated from that area of your shingle and is no longer repelling water as it should. This is a big sign that your roof has seen better days and needs to be looked at soon.
3) Old Flashing:
The most common cause for a roof to be leaking is the flashing. Your flashing should not be rusted or bent in odd ways. Every time a roof is replaced all the flashing should be replaced as well. Some companies will try to get away with “re-working” the flashing on your house if it still looks good but be aware that the flashing has already been on there and exposed to the elements for 20 to 30 years or more already. It will not last another 20 to 30 years. So if your current flashing is rusty then it probably wasn’t replaced last time the the roof was replaced.
If you are seeing water stains on your ceiling then you should get someone out right away. Leaking roofs are a very big Safety concern. It is not uncommon for a leaking roof to start an electrical fire.
4) Vents and Pipe Jacks:
The plastic vents and rubber pipe jack boots are not meant to last the length of time that your roof is. Once again the sun is your roofs worst enemy. look for cracks in your vents caused by the sun making them out-gas and loose the oil in them. The same goes for the rubber boots around the bottom of your pipe jacks.
5) Shingle Blow-off:
This one is obvious. You need all of your shingles.
6) Exposed nails or staples:
You should never have any exposed nails or staples on your roof. Nails and especially staples will rust out if exposed to the elements. There are two main places to look for exposed nails. The most common place is on the downward exposed edge of your vents. The bottom edge of your vents are not to be nailed for this reason. The second place to look is anywhere you have had any shingle blow off. When the shingles blow off it exposes the nails or staples that are holding down the row below them. Blown off shingles should be repaired relatively quickly.
These are just a few of areas that need to be inspected regularly to insure that your roof is properly protecting your home. I hope this helps.
