The joys of home ownership! You’ve probably heard that snarky quip before when complaining to a friend about your latest home improvement challenges. Houses never seem to be “done.” They exist in a near-constant stream of maintenance tasks that pop up like a whack-a-mole game.

Lucky for you, your roof can exist in a fairly maintenance-free state. At least, as far as big repairs go, if you take the proper steps. Your roof is probably the most critical part of your house. Take small but necessary steps to maintain it. You’ll avoid a big headache and an even bigger repair bill.

Why Roof Maintenance Matters

Your roof’s primary function redirects water away from your home. Fail to maintain it, and water that should move away might come right inside. A failing roof doesn’t just impact your roof. It creates problems inside exterior walls, inside your attic, and even compromises your living spaces.

We’ve focused on different aspects of your entire roofing system. Everything from insulation to solar panels. We’ve covered dos and don’ts, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

In this article, we’ll show you helpful tips on basic roof maintenance. You won’t get stuck with an “uh-oh” moment. We’ll show you what to look for and how to spot problem areas. We’ll explain what to do about them. These maintenance tasks help your roof withstand extreme weather more easily. They can make damage less severe in the event of storms.

Benefits of Doing Routine Roof Maintenance

You already know the overall benefits of maintenance. Cars, health, computers—they all defer that dreadful day when they’re simply inoperable. The same is true for roofs. The approach is just a bit different.

Protecting Your Investment

Roofs are the most important part of your house. A good, well-maintained roof saves you tons of money on other expenses throughout the years. Your roof in disrepair means other things inside the house are at risk. Some are even structural.

Your roof letting in water puts you on the hook for much more than just a roof repair or replacement.

Early Detection Saves Money

The key to maintenance is catching signs of problems early. Much like diseases, unchecked or ignored problems quickly grow into major issues. They can have serious financial ramifications.

Roof maintenance protects your home. It also teaches you how your roof interacts with your house. You’ll learn to look for signs of trouble. These skills help immensely on your current home and any future property. You’ll feel more confident troubleshooting problems. You’ll feel more in control of your home’s condition and safety.

Revealing Hidden Problems

Learning more about the intersection of roof and house reveals other problems. Even non-roof related ones. Following water from a clogged gutter could shed light on exterior wall issues. It might reveal foundation problems.

You can diagnose many problems by starting at the roof line and investigating. Your roof is one of the largest parts of your house. It’s exposed to both outside and inside. This dynamic is truly unique. It allows multiple problems to go unseen or hidden for years.

Planning for Replacement

Roof maintenance has one final perk: saving money. Not just “I spotted the problem before it grew” money. It gives you time to set aside money for an eventual roof replacement.

Roofs are one of the most expensive items on a house to replace. Squeezing all the life out of your roof is imperative. Every extra year you get is one more year to save money for when it finally gives out. There are other ways to finance a new roof. We certainly recommend having some available money regardless.

DIY or Call a Pro

Basic maintenance on a roof can seem daunting. Depending on the roof, it certainly might be! Before you do anything to your roof, study it like a school subject.

The wonderful part about living in the internet age? The whole of human knowledge is available at the click of a few buttons. You can find resources galore on your specific roof type. You’ll feel armed with the right knowledge before examining your roof.

Know Your Roof

Take time to learn everything you can about your roof. What kind of finishing material does it have? What kind of shingles? What’s the pitch? How many spots have flashing?

As the old saying goes, “knowledge is power!” More power to fix a problem yourself means more money in your pocket.

When DIY Isn’t Right

We understand that DIY roof maintenance isn’t for everyone. Not all parts of roof maintenance work for DIYers. Doing it yourself might not be your speed. Spending money on a seasonal or annual checkup still costs less than major rehabilitation or replacement.

Even if you don’t do it yourself, knowing what professionals look for gives you power. You ensure no one takes advantage of you.

Insurance Won’t Cover Everything

Remember, insurance won’t cover roof replacement from general wear and tear. It only pays for a new roof or roof repair after a natural event or sudden catastrophe. You’re on the hook for everything that happens to your roof.

Paying maybe a few hundred dollars at most every year for maintenance seems worth it in the long run.

Best Time for Inspections in Utah

Plenty of roofing contractors in your area offer annual or seasonal roof checkups. In Utah, one of the best times to get these professional roof inspections is after winter. This is especially true if you have asphalt shingles.

Cold weather, condensation, and ice damming take massive tolls on a roof. Detecting roof leaks and other problems in winter is harder. Your roof could be under snow cover.

Winter problems will almost certainly worsen from the punishing summer sun and rain. The last thing you want? A thunderstorm rolling through and making its way into your house because of an undetected winter leak.

Roofing contractors offer different packages and price points based on your roof’s size and finishing material. Do your due diligence. Figure out what works best for your roof and your budget.

What to Look for Before Maintenance

You’ve decided to undertake basic maintenance yourself. Great! We think it’s an excellent way to save money. You’ll increase the longevity of your roof and learn a thing or two along the way.

Safety First – Always

If you’re taking the DIY route, this cannot be said enough: Safety first.

More accidents happen on roofs than any other part of the home every year. Falling from a roof can paralyze or even kill you. It’s not just the fall, either.

Millions of homes in America have above-grade powerlines feeding electricity to their home. Touching one with a metal ladder can severely injure or kill you. Accidentally hitting one with some other tool can do the same.

No roof is worth putting yourself in harm’s way. On the fence or not confident about handling a certain roof repair? Call someone qualified and insured to handle the situation.

Start on the Ground

Keeping safety in mind, the first and easiest spot to check for roof problems is on the ground. Look specifically near watershed areas.

For houses with gutters, check at the relief of the downspouts or in the gutters themselves. For houses with rain chains or no gutters, check wherever the water lands near your house.

Check Your Gutters

Look for debris in gutters. Anything that makes its way off your roof ends up in your gutter. A clogged gutter causes a whole host of problems beyond your roof. Catching it early makes a world of difference.

This advice applies no matter the finishing material on your roof. Steel, tile, slate—you name it. Looking in gutters or for patterns around your watershed helps determine if something else is going on.

Asphalt Roof Warning Signs

Asphalt roofs are a bit different. Look specifically for granules of asphalt roofing in your gutters. There will always be some. When there are a lot, figure out why they’re ending up there.

Granules signal that your shingles are deteriorating. As shingles age, they break down and wash away when it rains. Figure out if this is a localized problem or if your whole roof is under duress. Every situation is different with tons of variables involved. Do your homework. If that leads to a dead end, call a pro.

Keep Debris Away

Keeping your roof free of debris or potential debris is important. This is true of any roof. You don’t want anything extra up there that could damage your finishing material.

The most common problems are trees that overhang your roof. We’ve seen our fair share of branches that break free from trees and crack roofs, rafters, and sheathing.

Got a tree that looks menacing? It’s best to trim it up. Large branches that could do a lot of damage require a pro. Try to take it on yourself and cut the branch wrong? It could land on your roof and cause damage anyway. This is the worst of both worlds. Insurance likely won’t pay for your mistake. You still caused damage to your roof that needs repair.

Trees and Wind Damage

Tree branches too close to a roof can lift shingles and tiles in heavy winds. Trees actually touching a roof are always a bad sign. They cause nothing but headaches once those Utah winds start whipping by your house. Take care of trees sooner rather than later to prevent as much damage as possible.

Watch Out for Critters

Critters can cause significant damage. Squirrels often make their way into attic or vent spaces. If they make it in, they likely did it by exposing a weakness in the roof.

You’ll often see chimneys or other penetrations wrapped with chicken wire to prevent this problem. They can destroy framing inside the space they’re nesting in. On a more disgusting note, squirrels sometimes make it in and not out. This creates a less than desirable odor once they die.

The Bat Problem

Bats are also common problems in attics. While bats are environmentally amazing creatures, the last place you want them is in your house. We’re not here to scare you, but bats are the primary carrier of rabies in the United States. Vaccinations for it can be incredibly expensive should you need one.

Bats can fit through holes the size of a quarter. Spotting how they’re getting into your house isn’t always easy. If you see one, you’ve likely got more.

Companies specialize in “bat-proofing” houses. They use specialized technology and cameras to find every available penetration and seal them up. While these access points aren’t always on the roof, they often come in from eaves and soffits on vented roofs. Improperly secured areas are easy spots for bats to get in.

Had problems with bats in the past? We definitely recommend calling a professional to figure out what’s going on and how to stop it.

Dealing with Moss

Another living being that likes to attach itself to your roof: moss. Moss is common on houses with stark north-south exposures. As we all learned on that grade school field trip, moss always grows on the north side.

Have a house whose north side receives little to no sun? Check for moss. Most of the time it doesn’t stick long and naturally wears off. When it doesn’t, it can make its way underneath your shingles, lift them, and cause damage.

Given the sponge-like consistency of moss, it can wick water up underneath your shingles. This causes damage to anything underneath. Thankfully, you can remove it simply with a large brush or broom. Power washing works too.

Visual Inspections

Perhaps the easiest way to spot a problem with your roof? Just look at it. Becoming familiar with how your roof looks helps you spot problems when they arise. It’s easy to notice differences in something you’ve seen a hundred times.

Taking a minute to give your roof a once-over when you’re outside could make the difference. You’ll spot an early problem before it becomes serious.

Can you get at eye level with your roof? You’ll really be able to see any sagging or lifted shingles. Gazing at such an angle gives you a sense of the full plane on which your roof sits. It’s an excellent way to see any anomalies. You’ll notice things like moss or debris.

Know Your Attic Space

Becoming familiar with your attic space is a good rule of thumb. Know how it vents, what it’s supposed to look like, and how to spot problems. This is a great way to catch potential problems before they get too big. It’s the first place you’ll find any unwanted house guests.

In winter, you should be able to see any condensation issues that arise. You may even see light frost on really cold days. Most of this is normal. When you get large chunks of frost or ice inside your attic space, address it before it does more damage.

Extreme weather can always cause roof issues. After any type of weather event, spot check your roof for changes or emerging problems.

Hot Roof Considerations

Have a hot roof? You don’t have to worry about checking your attic space. Know that hot roofs can cause asphalt shingles to fail faster than normal. More manufacturers are creating asphalt shingles to be hot roof ready from the start.

Make your roof a hot roof after a roof is already in place? It could cause your shingles to curl. If this is the case, there’s only one option: total roof replacement.

Snow and Ice Management

Utah doesn’t get as much snow as Minnesota. Heavy snows, especially in the mountains, can still arrive. In parts of the state or country that get heavy snow, investing in a roof rake is well worth it.

A roof rake is exactly what it sounds like—a giant rake for pulling snow off your roof. Some snow on your roof is completely normal. During large snow events that take a long time to melt, you’re creating the perfect opportunity for ice damming.

As snow melts from the underside, it rolls down the roof. It freezes as the weather cools at night. Raking off significant portions of snow allows it to melt faster. This reduces the chance of ice damming occurring in the first place.

It also makes your roof more efficient. You’d rather have a warm roof from the sun than a cold one from snow. Just be careful with that roof rake. Watch for overhead power lines.

Gutter and Flashing Maintenance

We mentioned gutters earlier. They’re an important part of your roof system. Planning on going up on your roof to check for other potential problems? Clear your gutters out if they seem full.

Why Gutters Matter

Left unattended, gutters back up with rotted leaves and other debris. When this happens, water can overflow. While this isn’t always problematic, it can be because of capillary action.

Capillary action is where water basically defies gravity. It sticks to the underside of an object. Gutters close to your house? This process could easily get water into your soffits and cause damage.

You also don’t want to deal with clogged gutters in winter. Rain on top of snow or a fast snow melt means trouble. Being up on a cold ladder in winter is one of the worst things imaginable.

Leaf Guard Solutions

A great way to avoid all of this? Install leaf guards on your gutters. Leaf guards are specialized products that allow water through while preventing larger debris from clogging your gutters.

Plenty of companies offer leaf guards. They’re compatible with almost all types of gutters. You can install them yourself or with professional help. However you want to go about it, we think they’re well worth the time and money. This is especially true if you have trees in your yard or close to your roof.

Critical Flashing Checks

Make sure that you always, always check your flashing. We wrote an entire article on flashing repair and its critical role in your roof health.

Flashing refers to materials used to seal a penetration in your roof. Think skylights, chimneys, or power supplies. These almost always are the first things to fail on a roof.

Checking flashing from the outside isn’t always easy. You’ll definitely be able to tell from the inside. Flashing with a problem shows moisture coming in at the spot of the penetration. You might see it a little bit downstream from it.

You can check your flashing from inside your attic if you have access. Get up there while it’s raining outside. See if any water is making its way under your flashing and into your house. Hopefully there isn’t any. Even if there is some water, you can find fairly simple and cost-effective solutions to fix the problem.

How to Fix Common Problems

You’ve found a problem. Now what? Despite being an intimidating part of your house, many roof problems are fairly easy to fix.

Leak Repairs

Oftentimes, you can fix leaks by putting in a new row of shingles. Rubberized roofing cement that seals that part of the roof also works. Use caution: put too much on and you won’t be able to replace that section of shingles easily should you need to.

Shingle Replacement

Shingle replacement is fairly easy to understand. A roof has overlapping rows of shingles. This ensures water never makes its way up and underneath the shingles.

You should be able to follow the pattern that already exists on your roof. Need to replace some loose or damaged shingles? You may even have some leftover from when your house was last roofed.

Flashing Fixes

You can also fix damaged or failing flashing with roofing cement. Know that it’s not a permanent fix. Decide to go this route? A new roof is not too far behind.

While roofing cement can hold for years, it doesn’t always. You’ll need to be prepared to address the problem adequately. Sometimes you might find it better to go ahead and replace the whole thing.

When to Call Professionals

It may not be worth your time to try and fix these problems yourself. That’s fine. There are plenty of roofing companies out there that would love to help you. They’ll take care of whatever problems you’re having. The more you know, the more smoothly projects will go even if you hire a professional.

Wrapping Up

You may or may not want to take on roofing projects yourself. However you want to go about it, the decision is yours. That decision is likely the right one.

Roofs are intimidating. They’re big. They’re massively important to the life of your house. Getting any maintenance done the right way the first time is important.

Stay Vigilant

You can always look for signs of trouble, even if you don’t want to get on your roof. Simply get to know your roof. Notice how it acts when it rains. Know what it looks like in normal conditions. Keep an eye out for anything out of the norm.

This is a great first step toward making sure maintenance is taken care of. The life of your roof will be extended as long as possible.

Professional Help is Available

You may also choose to simply pay someone to worry about it. This is a great option as well. The benefit? A trained professional spots things that you don’t. They’ll likely act more quickly than you in getting it fixed. Plus, you don’t need to exert any of your own effort. You don’t even need to be home to solve the problem.

Any Maintenance Saves Money

Whatever you decide to do, know that any type of maintenance likely saves you money. Not saving you money in direct repair costs? It’s at least giving you time to save money to eventually replace your roof.

There’s only one wrong way to maintain a roof: not doing anything. Executing any of the above steps puts you on the path to saving money, saving time, and saving a whole lot of headache.

Need professional help with roof leak detection, emergency repairs, or a complete roof installation? CTI Roofing is here to help. We serve homeowners throughout Salt Lake City, Ogden, and surrounding areas in Utah.