10 Common Roofing Problems and Solutions
January 10, 2022
When you have roofing problems, a Toronto roof repair will be in the forecast. Homeowners can be inundated with issues when they neglect their roofs, and roofing companies in Toronto will be charged with eviscerating the problems that have been identified. Your roof is an out-of-sight, out-of-mind asset that needs constant monitoring by roofing companies in Toronto to protect your assets. The only way to identify roofing problems is the old-fashioned way, get a ladder out and visually inspect the roof. Or, if issues are of an urgent nature that forces you to pay attention – like a leak, flapping shingles, missing cracked or curled shingles – you could be in line for a hefty repair bill or, worse, a complete roof tear-off and replacement. At Integrity Roofers, we have assembled a helpful guide for homeowners to help them identify the ten most common problems they can expect to encounter when maintaining a residential roofing system.
10 Roofing Problems and the Best Solutions
Overhanging Tree Limbs
Trees make for a natural landscape around any home, but one problem, though. If trees are too close to your home, they can be a big problem for your roofing system. If the issue is low-hanging tree limbs, they scrap and wear away your shingles to the point where leaks will be created. Also, trees don’t clean up after themselves – that means leaves and debris will accumulate on the roof and in the gutters forcing ponding and water drainage that falls over the eavestroughs.
If you experience a storm that can dislodge a tree branch, it falls directly onto the roof, creating long-term damage to the structure. Trees make for excellent access to your roof by animals and vermin – they will strip away roofing materials for their nests or burrow into your roof and create a safe habitat that will destroy your roofing system. Before you initiate any tree management plans, talk to an expert first to develop the best course of action. Inspections at regular intervals will also protect your roofing system because Mother Nature isn’t kind to roofing systems.
Gutters that are Ready to Give Out
Your eavestroughs were created to drain water that flows freely from your shingles to the gutters, then to the ground via downspouts. Ice dams in the winter and blockage any other time of year present a clear and present danger for the eavestroughs. The added weight from the ice dam will force the eavestrough away from the fascia and leave a gaping opening where water will escape.
When sediment is present in the gutters, they won’t drain water adequately, and as the buildup accumulates, it forces water over the sides. A gutter guard or meshing is the best solution to the problem, but don’t forget to clean the guards periodically for maximum efficiency. Maintain a relationship with a professional roofing company with a background in eavestrough cleaning to protect your roofing system and home from eventualities.
Roof Leaks
At specific intervals, check the attic for discoloration that indicates roof leaks – drips are the most common identifier when it rains, but we can’t always be in the attic when it rains. Other signs of leaks include stains on the ceilings in the upper part of the house. Also, look outside to see if there are problems. If you have a leak problem, you will see it just under the roofline at the roof’s edge; if it changes colour or somehow doesn’t look right, you have a problem.
Skylights and vents present another source of water leaks. If your skylight is leaking, you will know immediately. If you have vent problems, you won’t know until it is a catastrophe requiring a significant expenditure in repair dollars. You can create a short-term solution by adding caulking to the aways where the leaks are, but in the main, get a professional to apply a lasting solution to prevent further damage. If you aren’t a professional roofer, don’t act like one; hire a residential roofing expert with experience, know-how and the tools to complete a quality repair.
Improper DIY Projects for Roofs
When you weigh the pros and cons of DIY versus professional help for your roof repairs, know one thing, DIY solutions cause more harm than good. If you don’t have safety training, you could be injured in the fall, as thousands of Canadians are trying to fix roofing problems every year.
Hiring a qualified, licensed roofing contractor to come in to review the issues is the best course of action. Using experience and professional insight, a professional roofing contractor can get to the heart of the problem and provide an exit strategy to remediate the roofing problems you are experiencing. Using a professional will save money because they will be effective and promptly solve the problems through their expertise.
Flashing Failures
When you have vents, skylights, chimneys, or satellite dishes on the roof, they need to be enclosed with something called flashing. The flashing is a metal strip surrounding the inserts to keep water from leaking in. Over time, the flashing will have outlived its usefulness and start to degrade, allowing water to enter your roof structure. Flashing is also installed at the roof edge, joints, seams, and closes the gap that a valley on your roof creates.
Flashing is the unsung hero of your roofing system, and it needs to be maintained with regular inspections for your home’s protection. Age, exposure and poor-quality installation can be the biggest enemies for the flashing installed at your home. When you recognize the problem of degrading flashing, call a professional roofer to repair the problem before replacing your roof due to neglect.
Poor Ventilation
It might sound funny to think of, but a roof needs to breathe, and that is why vents are in place to keep the attic dry and cool. If your ventilation is poor to non-existent, you can expect your attic to be a sauna in the summer and covered with frost in the winter. The damp, moist air will cause your trusses and decking to become spongy and cause the roof to sag over time. Once wood rot has been set in, a complete rip-off of the roof – trusses included – will be the only way to repair the problem.
Mould is another problem in and of itself, and it can lead to respiratory problems when inhaled over time, and mould spreads if it has an environment to thrive in – like a moist atmosphere for spores to spread throughout the home. Your HVAC system and monthly budget will pay a hefty price for poor ventilation – the A/C works harder in the summer, and the heating component of the system will be adding to the overheated environment in the attic. To keep your attic cool and dry all year long, install vents at the gables, ridges, and roof edges to ensure maximum ventilation for your home.
Roof Gaps
Any roofing problem starts life as a minor annoyance then proceeds to become the nightmare of your life. If your roofing system sustains damage that creates open holes gaps between roof sections or rips to the membrane, decay will come quickly without notice. Water is a roof’s biggest enemy, and once it is inside a home – mould problems, mentioned previously, will be a threat to your health and well-being.
If you haven’t inspected your roof in some time, call an expert to determine your problems and where your solutions can be found. A professional roofing company has the equipment to detect roofing problems like holes or gaps that aren’t visible to the naked eye. They will catch them when they are minor problems. Using drone technology is one advance that has reduced the damage roofing problems create when enacted on time.
Wear and Tear
Certainly, we would all like our roofs to last forever, but it doesn’t work that way. Shingles have a shelf life, and once they reach the end of the life cycle, they will need to be replaced. Sure, staying on top of your maintenance schedule to replace damaged shingles is excellent, but at some point, it is more cost-efficient to replace the entire roof. As they say in sports, Father Time is undefeated, and Mother Nature will wreak havoc if not kept in check.
Updating a roof that was installed over 20 years ago will see new materials that are light years ahead of what was installed previously, and you have the benefit of not having to replace the roof before you sell your home. Using new materials that will withstand a class A fire and class 4 weather is the protection your home needs to protect it from the risks and hazards a roofing system faces.
Shoddy Repairs and Incorrect Installation
Let’s face it, not everybody who says they are a professional roofer is. The problems could be right in front of any homeowner, and they wouldn’t know it by looking at them. Roofing work is based on trust, and the homeowner expects their roofing contractor to understand all the subtle nuances of a roofing system. Shoddy repairs contribute to future roofing problems, and that is a given.
One of the biggest problems with poor installation is that it can void a warranty for the installed products that don’t follow the manufacturer’s guidelines. When you think the warranty will cover a $10,000 roof repair, you find out that the previous contractor didn’t know what they were doing and voided your warranty in the process. Messy legal proceedings are likely in the event of a problem like this, so vet your contractor carefully before you sign on the dotted line.
Lack of Ongoing Maintenance
You keep your car regularly maintained; why not your roof? As we have mentioned, a roof is an out of sight out of mind accent for a home, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t need attention regularly. The problems that have been outlined in this article are only exasperated when you don’t have a regular roofing maintenance schedule to support the roofing system as a whole.
Keeping a roofing contractor on speed dial with a regular schedule will not only prevent big problems from occurring but will nip small problems in the bud. The cost for a regularly scheduled roof inspection pales compared to roof repairs or replacements, and it is money well-spent.
Hire Our Roof Repair Services for all Your Roofing Problems
For a roof replacement, we extend a 12-year warranty, and if repairs are required after the fact, you will receive them free of charge with a ten-year warranty for workmanship included with the repair. We offer a comprehensive Roof Maintenance Program that includes repairs and regular assessments of the condition of your roof now and in the future.
For a complete list of our services, visit the roof maintenance service page on our website. For a free estimate of the services you need to bring your roof up to excellent standing, fill out the form, and we will get back to you quickly. In the event you need immediate help with your roofing problems, please reach out to us at Integrity Roofers today at 647.953.9365 for more information.
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