The Most Common Roof Problems You Need To Address

Your entire home protects you from the elements, but it’s the roof that takes the brunt of the punishment from Mother Nature.

With the alternating barrage of harsh sunlight, heavy rains, snow, and maybe even hailstones all-year-round, it would only be a matter of time before problems arise with your roof.

Sooner or later, you’re going to need to hire roofing contractors with proper roofing insurance coverage to repair or even replace it.

Here are some of the most common roof problems that you may have to deal with at some point.

Roof Leaks

Even when your roof is generally in good shape, leaks may still happen and cause water damage.

The tiniest cracks in your shingles can lead to a leak. Perhaps the roof flashing is corroded and is not doing its job anymore.

Whatever is causing the leak, you must address it immediately. Even if the amount of moisture the leak is letting in is minimal, it would still be enough to foster mold growth, which is another problem altogether.

Roof Shrinkage

Your roof is prone to shrinkage if it’s flat and coated with EPDM, a synthetic rubber membrane designed to protect the roof from general weathering.

EPDM tends to shrink, and it cracks and deteriorates in the process, leading to leaks and other problems.

Roof Holes and Punctures

There’s a long line of suspects you can blame whenever your roof ends up with a hole or a puncture.

Tree branches are often the culprit for such holes. Debris carried by a powerful windstorm can also puncture your roof. If there are woodpeckers in your area, they might be why your roof’s eaves are damaged.

People who go up on the roof for one reason or another may also be responsible for roof punctures. A careless roofer, for example, might accidentally drop a heavy tool onto your roof and create a hole. A misstep can also produce the same result.

Splitting

The shingles on your roof shift and change all the time. When warmer weather sets in, these shingles will start expanding and eventually split, leading to lower wind resistance and leaks.

Ponding Water

A building with a flat roof is more prone to ponding, which refers to the water pooling on it due to heavy rains or melting snow.

Typically, we expect all that pooled water to evaporate eventually, but that isn’t always the case. When the pond on your roof stays as it is, it will ultimately accelerate the aging of your roof system and degrade the roofing material.

Broken or Missing Shingles

Sometimes, our roof ends up with missing or broken shingles after particularly severe weather. There are also times when blistering, curling, and cracking get the better of our roof shingles.

Broken or missing shingles typically lead to a leak, causing water damage to the decking, among other things.

Snow and Ice Damage

Your roof will undoubtedly be straining under the weight of accumulated snow and ice, and that’s why it’s important to estimate how much weight it can support. If the thickness of the snow and ice suggests that your roof is under too much weight, act right away and remove at least some of the snow to relieve your roof.

Melting snow and ice also presents problems, as it could seep beneath the shingles and stay there. When the weather turns icy cold again, that water will freeze and expand, pushing up the shingles and leading to gaps in the roof.

Small Animals

Birds’ nests can block the flow of water in the rain gutters and eventually cause water damage.

The droppings of birds also have high acid content, which may damage your roofing material.

Rodents like mice, rats, and squirrels love taking up residence in the roof. They gnaw and chew at any roofing material standing in their way to create enough space that will accommodate them.

Defective Installation

If you hired licensed, insured, and bonded roofing contractors to install your roof, then poor installation isn’t likely going to be a problem.

However, if you opted for non-professionals to save some money, don’t be surprised if problems arise with your roof sooner than you expected. With inferior or defective roof installation, you will likely spend more money having it repaired over the years.

These are just some of the most common roofing problems that you have to address immediately.

While it’s tempting to take on these roofing problems the DIY way, it’s a whole lot safer if you leave them in the hands of professional roofers.

Whenever you need roofing repairs or replacement done, make sure you always get professional roofing contractors for the job. You can rely on roofers with the proper license, bond, and contractors insurance coverage to do the job right.