A typical roof can last for several decades depending on how you maintain it, but one thing is certain—all roofs, regardless of the level of care you give them, are eventually going to wear out and require a replacement. How you can avoid the various problems associated with a failing roof depends on how accurately you can identify those problems and how quickly you decide between repair and replacement. To help you make the right choice, here are some of the common indicators that your roof needs to be replaced.
Multiple Cracks
We all know that a cracked shingle must be replaced immediately because it could let rainwater, snowmelt, and moisture into the house. It’s a good thing replacing a cracked shingle is not so hard to do on your own. There are tons of DIY tips online that you can follow and most of them are reliable. It’s a different story, though, when you are dealing with more than one cracked shingle and if it’s happening in different locations on your roof. In this case, you may need to seriously think of replacing the entire roof and that’s a task that’s best left to a local roofing company like Muller Exteriors.
Wind Damage
Weather in the Chicago area can sometimes be unpredictable. Thunderstorms that bring strong winds can easily form and engulf the city without warning and that could mean trouble for many houses in the city, especially those with old or poorly installed roofing systems. One powerful blast of high winds can damage not just a section of the roof but usually a large area, leaving a trail of damage that’s quite difficult to repair. One sign of damage from strong winds that indicate the need for a new roof is loosened sealant or nails.
Granule Erosion
If you have an asphalt roofing, one type of the damage that you must look out for is granule erosion, which is also one of the signs you need a new roof. Overtime, as your roof becomes exposed to all sorts of elements, it loses the granules that form the topmost layer of its shingles. The rate of erosion depends on an array of factors, including the amount of rain or snow your area receives every year and the quality of the roofing material. When you notice granules collecting in your roof’s gutter, that’s one of the revealing signs a roof needs to be replaced.
Curling Shingles
One way to tell if your roof is in good condition is to view it from one side and make sure that its surface is even in all direction. There must be no signs of deformation, such as bulges, dents, or materials sticking out of the surface. When you see one or two shingles protruding because their sides are curling up, don’t take it lightly. It could be a sign of bigger issues, which in most cases involve the entire roofing system. There must be a problem with the roof’s ventilation, the shingles may have not been properly lined up, or the roof is already too old.
Leak
Roof leak can be categorized as mild or serious. It’s just mild when you see signs of leak on just a single area with no more than slight dampening due to an apparent leak source. You can get rid of the leak by simply fixing or replacing the broken shingle. If you find water damage all over the place and water is coming in from different spots, it’s time to call in a roofing professional to conduct a thorough inspection. Most likely, you’ll be presented with two choices—fix the sources of the leak but risk having the same problem over and over again or replace the entire roof and circumvent leak problems altogether.
Broken or Rusty Flashing
The sections where the roof meets with the firewall, chimney, and vent pipes have to be properly sealed with flashing because they are vulnerable to leak. When you notice that the roof’s flashing is heavily rusted or damaged, replace it at once before rust completely tears it apart, creating a path for a leak. This may not seem like enough reason to replace the whole roof, but if your roof was installed at the same time as the flashing, chances are both of them have already sustained sufficient damage, and replacing the roof completely may save you thousands of dollars in maintenance cost down the road.
When do roofs need to be replaced and how often do roofs need to be replaced? It can be difficult to determine exactly when you need a new roof. Compared to other components of your home, the roof is not that easy to inspect, especially if you don’t have the necessary gear. There’s one thing you can do, though, to ease your anxiety, and that is to find out what your roof is made of, when the roof was installed, and or how long ago it was last maintained. Roofing materials come in different types, each with a unique lifespan, so based on the information you’ll gather, you can know whether or not it’s time to replace your roofing system.
When it’s time to replace your roof, there’s a good chance that you’ll consider the option of doing it all by yourself. While seemingly practical and exciting, this might not be the best idea. Apart from the fact that there’s an assortment of things to consider when replacing a roof, which may not be within your area of expertise, it’s too big of a job to take on by yourself. Don’t forget that your roof functions as your first line of defense against the elements, which can harm your biggest investments. Taking chances, especially if you have no prior experience in installing a roof, could be unsafe.. Hire someone who’s trained and has many years of experience installing, repairing, maintaining, and replacing roofs, such as the top roofing contractors in Chicago.
Sources:
https://money.com/replace-roof-need-to-know/
https://www.familyhandyman.com/roof/should-i-replace-my-roof-here-are-21-things-to-consider/
