Roofing Issues

• A roof takes more of a beating than any other part of the house.roof image by Eldin Muratovic from Fotolia.com
  
  The roof is the most important part of your house, and the part that takes the most abuse from the weather. Without a sound, waterproof, and well-insulated roof, no part of your house is safe. Understanding problems that can occur with your roof will help you to keep an educated eye on it and to take action to prevent problems before they become severe.
  
  

Worn Out Shingles

• Asphalt shingles are a convenient way to roof a house, but they don't last forever. Heavy rains knock granules off and the sun beating down every summer begins to dessicate the tar with which the shingles are impregnated. Eventually, the shingles will begin to crack and curl. If they aren't replaced at this point, they will eventually begin to let water through, and at that point you have a real problem. Avoid walking on the roof unless it's absolutely necessary and you will help to prolong the life of your shingles. Check them several times a year so you know what condition they are in.
  
  

Degraded Flashing

• The most likely place to develop a leak in your roof is where the consistent coverage of metal or shingle roofing is disrupted. This happens around chimneys and vents where flashing completes the waterproof seal between the disruption and the roofing. Most flashing is reinforced with caulking which completes the waterproof seal. If this caulking is 100 percent silicone, it will last significantly longer than cheaper caulking, but it will still wear out eventually. Checking flashing and caulking at the same time that you check your shingles will give you a chance to fix or replace them before they become a problem. If you leave them until water gets into your attic you will have a much larger problem when you discover mildewed or rotting roof joists.
  
  

Ice Build Up

• Poorly insulated roofs can lead to a problem with ice build up. Heat escaping through the roof melts snow that is on top of the roof, which runs down as water to the edge of the roof. When it gets onto the overhang, the escaping heat is no longer keeping it melted, so the water freezes into ice. This ice backs up the water behind it, which also turns into ice. Before long you can have some major chunks of ice around the edge of your roof, with large icicles hanging off of it. This ice presents a danger not only to your roof but to anybody walking underneath it as well. Solutions to this problem include improving the insulation in your roof and installing heat cables around the edge of your roof to keep the ice melted.