Ways to Increase the Longevity of Your Asphalt Shingle Roof

When your gutters get clogged from rain, snow, or wind, the water is diverted and can end up pooled at the edge of the roof. Regularly clean your gutters to get rid of leaves, sticks, and debris so that water doesn’t find its way underneath shingles and other places it isn’t wanted.

You may love the trees that are close to your house because of their beauty and the shade they provide, but you must maintain them to avoid issues. Keeping trees trimmed so the branches don’t hang over the house is important to keeping your roof in good shape. Tree branches can damage your roof by scratching it or causing an impact if the branch breaks, and they can also be a path for pests to get to your roof.

The attic’s ventilation system allows your home and roof to breathe properly. Ensuring that the attic is adequately ventilated is extremely important in extending the asphalt shingle roof’s lifespan. If you hired a reputable roofing contractor to install the roof, you should have the proper amount of vents.

However, if you don’t have adequate attic ventilation, the trapped hot and cold air will shorten the life of the roof. In the summer, heat builds up in the attic and causes the hot air to burn the roof, which will deteriorate the adhesives in the roof decking and cause the shingles to crack or curl. In the winter, the heat and moisture from the inside of the house will travel into the cold attic and cause condensation to get trapped in the roof decking. The trapped condensation then causes the decking to lose the ability to hold nails, lose its load-bearing capacity, and cause mold/mildew.

Over time, moss that is growing on your asphalt shingle roof can cause problems. While not necessarily an emergency, moss on roof shingles can cause multiple problems when left unaddressed. Moss can grow in, under, and around your roof tiles acting as a filler that isn’t wanted, creating such issues as wood rotting and the obstruction of drainage points. These can result in costly repairs and reduce the lifespan of your roof. Don’t use a pressure washer to remove moss and algae that you see on an asphalt shingle roof. A pressure washer will blow the protective granules off the shingles, compromise them, and shorten the life of the roof. Instead, find a professional company that specializes in soft washing and roof cleaning.

If your geographic area has severe winter storms, ice dams can form on your roof and cause leaks. To avoid this from happening, clear off big chunks of ice or snow to keep water flowing off of the roof all year long.

Over time, roof shingles will get compromised especially if you live in an area with harsh winds or heavy snowstorms. When you see shingles that are cracked, curling, or missing you will need to replace those. Damaged shingles can let water seep in and cause the seething below them to rot. This not only causes issues with the roof structure but also affects the energy efficiency of your home. Repairing asphalt shingles on a roof is critical to the longevity of the roof.