Welcome to Family Roofing

It’s easy to forget about your roof.  You’re likely not seeing it too often and out of sight means out of mind.  However, because the health of your roofing is so important to the overall health of your home, you should be careful not to completely neglect it.  This is especially crucial when it comes to debris that’s accumulated on your roof.  Many homeowners have a tendency to let leaves, tree branches, and other debris built up without intervening, but there are several reasons why that’s a bad idea.

1. Protecting Your Gutters

When excessive debris accumulates on your roof, much of it will inevitably end up filling your gutters.  If those gutters get too clogged, it will result in overflowing water spilling down the exterior of your home, which is detrimental to the health of the siding.  During winter, clogged gutters can be even more harmful because of the potential for ice dams.  All those leaves, pine needles, twigs, and pieces of debris will freeze into a heavy, slushy mass.  That can result in your gutters collapsing from the weight. It can also result in moisture on your roof getting backed up, which can lead to water damage.

2. Maintaining Home Comfort and Air Conditioner Efficiency

Having a clean roof will also make your home more comfortable, particularly during summer.  When there’s little or no debris up there, the sun’s rays will be reflected off the roof instead of overheating the house.  That way, you don’t have to rely so heavily on your cooling system to keep you comfortable.  You’ll save money on energy, and you’ll enjoy a more pleasant climate.

3. Easier Roof Inspections

To ensure that your roof doesn’t have significant leaks, damage, or degradation, you should have it inspected regularly.  If you’re safe and experienced, you can conduct these inspections yourself, but it’s usually wiser to hire a professional roofing company.  Either way, it’s practically impossible to thoroughly inspect a roof if it’s covered in debris. Instead of having to remove tons of leaves and branches right before an inspection, keep an eye out for that debris all year and safely remove it as it shows up.

4. Water Damage

When leaves pile up on your roof and sit for an extended amount of time, they tend to collect water and turn into a soggy mess.  If left untouched, they will continue to collect even more water and clump together.  When water stands on the shingles, they will eventually start to deteriorate which then leads to rotting boards underneath.  Not only is that bad for the integrity of your roof, but it can also cause a leak in the roof, which can damage the structure, sheetrock, belongings, and furniture inside your house.  Roofs with low pitch that are surrounded by lots of trees may experience this issue more than other roofs.

5. Efficiency

Many roofs are made to reflect the sun’s rays and keep the inside of the building energy efficient.  Debris can block the surface of the roof and reduce the efficiency of this process while absorbing more heat into your building, increasing energy consumption to keep up with cooling your facility.  Even worse, if holes begin to form in your roof then your heating and AC will be severely affected, causing discomfort for anyone inside and creating large energy and repair bills.

6. Prevention

There are some pretty simple ways to prevent a leafy, soggy mess on your roof.  To keep the majority of the leaves from landing on your roof in the first place, keep tree limbs trimmed back so that they aren’t hanging over your home.  At the same time, this will allow your roof to get more sunlight which will help prevent mold and mildew growth.  It’s also a good way to prevent damage from falling tree branches.  Make it a habit to regularly check your roof and gutters for an excessive amount of leaves and take care of it as soon as possible.

7. Neglecting Maintenance

Perhaps the single biggest cause of premature roof failure is forgetting to perform routine maintenance.  All of the above-mentioned flat roof problems are easily preventable with a routine maintenance plan and roof inspections.